A few final thoughts about the abortion issue
There are a number of different things to think about here. First, there is no uniform "Islamic position" on abortion. Most all Muslims agree that abortion after the end of the fourth month should be limited to when it is medically necessary to protect the life of the mother. However, there is no consensus about the extent to which abortion is permissible during the first four months. According to one school of thought, abortion should be lawful during the first four months and it is left to the conscience of each individual woman whether or not to have one. A law that enacted this rule would be more or less consistent with Roe v. Wade. According to the other school of thought, this freedom would be limited to the first 40 days and a stricter rule would apply between 40 and 120 days. It's not clear if this would pass muster with Roe v. Wade, but it is more lenient than most pro-life bills that are proposed. Those bills would pose a dilemma for Muslims whether they were prohibiting what Allah SWT has made lawful.
Those who are interested in fiqh may wish to note the position of Imam ibn Muflih on matters where there is a difference of opinion: "Punishment is not allowed [for following the more lenient opinion] in issues where there is a difference of opinion." Ibn Muflih here follows the position of his teacher Imam ibn Taimiya, who held that there is no compulsion in matters of permissible ijtihad. My understanding of this is that it means that a woman who follows the more lenient position on abortion during the first four months cannot be punished, nor can she be forced to follow the stricter position. She can only be encouraged and exhorted. If this understanding is correct, then the best Islamic position would be that abortion should be legal during the first four months and those who believe that it should be strictly limited should refrain from it and should work through peaceful means to persuade others to take their view (no, I am not a scholar; this is my own understanding only and I may be mistaken. Any good is from Allah SWT, any bad is from me).
This view of things emphasizes each woman's responsibility for her own moral choices. Allah SWT has given us a test in this life, He has shown us right and wrong and will judge us by which one we choose. This freedom of conscience is essential to religion.
It seems to me that this position is very close to Kucinich's. As a Catholic, as a vegan who does not even take animal life for his own food, and as a spiritual human being committed to recognizing the interconnectedness of all life, he is personally opposed to abortion on moral and religious grounds. Just as Muslims are. At the same time, he has come to realize that women's moral agency and freedom of conscience are also important and that he can't force a decision on another person in regard to something that is legal; ultimately the decision must be theirs, even if he thinks it's the wrong decision. This also, I believe, is similar to how Muslims should regard the issue. He has committed to using peaceful persuasion in dealings with women who want abortions, just as Muslims should.
Many liberals seem to think that freedom of choice is the only issue and often do not seem to respect those who have deep moral reservations about abortion. Some of these people hold Kucinich's positions, past and present, against him. However, I think that Muslims can be right in line with where Kucinich stands, more so than we would be with any of the other Democratic candidates.
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