Abortion
Muslim jurists uniformly hold abortion to be blameworthy but permissible under certain conditions. Ensoulment of the fetus is understood to occur 120 days after conception; after ensoulment, abortion constitutes homicide and requires a juridical punishment. The four Sunni schools of law provide certain rights to the ensouled fetus: the right to be born and live as long as God permits, a right to inheritance, and a right to burial. When a pregnant woman dies, the Shafii tradition mandates that the unborn child be removed in an attempt to save that life. If a pregnant woman is condemned to die, the death sentence must be postponed until after she has given birth. An unborn child cannot inherit while in the womb; the inheritance is held until after the birth. Miscarried and stillborn children are given a name, placed in a white cloth, and buried.
See also Birth Control/Contraception