TEHRAN, July 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Iranian parliament approved a draft bill legalizing abortion Tuesday. The new legislation will allow the abortion of “deformed” babies, or if the pregnancy poses a potentially fatal health risk to the pregnant mother.
Because Islamic teaching says that a baby does not have a soul until 17 weeks, few Moslem religious leaders have opposed the measure. One cleric who disapproves of the move, Mohammad Taqi Mohassel, told the Associated Press, “The bill tells the world that Iran’s parliament has permitted abortion. That’s why I oppose it.”
The 12-member Guardian Council must also approve the measure for the bill to become law. The passage of the bill today makes official the law introduced in 1999 by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.