Islam on Reproductive Health

When I learned that I was pregnant with my 2nd baby, Hussein, my 1st son, CJ, was at that time only nine months old. I was actually worried about plenty of things such as a baby who still needed all the attention I could give, morning sickness, pregnancy cramps, labor pains ( this really makes you want to literally kill the doctors and nurses who are having a typically normal conversation while they are watching over you in the delivery room), and the expenses another kid would bring at these financially difficult times. The thought of abortion somehow crept into my mind but knowing infanticide is an unforgivable grave sin in Islam and in other religions, that it would torture a woman in this life and in the next, and is completely against the laws of the country, I erased the thought completely. I knew also that the Holy Qur’an states Allah the Almighty has already provided for a baby the minute he or she is conceived. We just have to have faith in Him.

When the baby was born into the world, I was so glad that I did put my trust in God. Hussein turned out to be such a blessing to our family. And we did not have that much difficulty in raising the two kids. Somehow, we were able to provide the best to the both of them.

One of our countless projects of our office, the National Youth Commission, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Commission on Population, is on Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH). Although I’ve attended a few Reproductive Health (RH) seminars, it was only through this new project of our office that I understood RH in its truest sense. I was sent to a Trainers’ Training along with selected office mates of mine and our job was to go to identified municipalities nationwide and give information on ARH to youth leaders and Sangunniang Kabataan (SK) officers and members of those areas.

Because I was from Lanao del Sur, I was targeted to team-lead the training leg for the said province which made me worriedly exclaim, “Uh oh!” Knowing that RH was such a controversial topic and scorned by conservative religions, I did not know how I would explain this to my fellow Muslims, especially those who were so religious. If the Catholic Church was so much against RH, how much more the Muslims?

I voiced my fears to my office mate, Eddie Cuaresma, and he advised me to first know the sentiments of Muslim leaders and medical practitioners about RH before I tread on unsure territory. So, I prepared myself to interview key personnel who would help me with my dilemma.

I asked first employees from the Commission on Population how they inform Muslims about Family Planning. Ate Odette, a Christian from the PopCom central office said, “The Muslims approve of Reproductive Health. Actually, they came out with the Fatwah.” “The fat whom?” I asked, terribly ignorant of the Arabic word, Fatwah. “Fatwah means Official Ruling,” she said. “Muslims already have an official ruling on Reproductive Health.” (Imagine how red my face became, beet-red actually, after being informed by a Christian of an Arabic word!) Wanting to make sure if what Ate Odette said were true,I decided to scout and ask Muslims this time.

One day, at the SM City Shopping Mall in Cagayan de Oro, I saw my uncle, Councilor Abdani Alonto and his colleague, Councilor Railani Raki-in, having a cup of coffee. I intruded on their conversation and told them of my problem, that I was to discuss with some Muslim youth of Lanao del Sur about RH and yet, I am not at all sure if RH was Islamic or not. I envisioned with fear the participants either throwing tomatoes at me or walking out from the seminar room if they ask me to provide verses from the Qur’an about the acceptance of RH in Islam and I would have none to quote. Councilor Raki-in said his wife, Dr. Pinky Raki-in, is an employee of the Department of Health and was involved in such projects before. “Well, at least another Muslim was supporting the idea,” I thought to myself. Luckily, Dr. Raki-in arrived and told me that there is already the Fatwah. “There goes that word again,” I thought. My mission was then clear to me: I had to get hold of this Fatwah. Unfortunately, Dr. Raki—in did not bring with her a copy since she went to SM for other reasons and obviously, Reproductive Health was NOT one of them.

Arthur Ramas, a youth volunteer of our office, and formerly the National Youth Representative of the Family Planning of the Philippines (FPOP), heard of my problem. “I have a copy of the Fatwah, would you need it?” he asked. I was astonished because another non-Muslim knew about Fatwah and even had a copy of it! This is getting more embarrassing by the minute, I thought. The following day, he gave me a thin pamphlet entitled, Fatwah (Official Ruling) on Reproductive Health
and Family Planning by the Assembly of Darul-Iftah.

Reading the pamphlet, I found out that the Assembly of Darul-Iftah was a group of known Muslim leaders and scholars in the Philippines who made a series of dialogues regarding reproductive health. They were very much worried because according to statistics, in the Philippines, “ten women die everyday from cases related to pregnancy and childbirth.” According to the 1998 National Demographic and Health Survey, “maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is found highest in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Northern Mindanao at 200-300 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Infant mortality rate in ARMM is also very high at 55 deaths per 1,000 live births compared to the national rate of 35 deaths per 1,000 live births.”

Based on these findings, the Assembly agreed they had to help solve this problem affecting Muslim women and one way of doing this is to study the definition of Reproductive Health and then make a stand. They found out that RH recognizes that people have the capability to reproduce, the right to decide fully and responsibly the number and spacing of their children, the right to understand and enjoy their own sexuality within the legal frame of marriage, are entitled to have a satisfying and safe sex life (with the legitimate spouse surely!), and have the right to remain free of disease or death associated with their sexuality and reproduction. In this definition, they did not find anything objectionable and that nothing about this was un-Islamic. In fact, during the time of the Messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Azl ( withdrawal or coitus interruptus) was practiced by his followers and when news of this reached him, he did not forbid them and encouraged them to continue doing this if they still do not want to have babies. He even advised lactating mothers to breastfeed their babies for two years since this is good for the baby and according to him was an effective natural family planning method. Prophet Muhammad started the "Breastfeeding is still best for babies up to two years" campaign,and definitely not the infant formula makers.

I also learned that the Fatwah does not define Family Planning as abortion or birth control but it actually refers to birth or child spacing and that it should be a couple’s decision. According to the assembly, all methods of contraception are allowed as long as they are safe, legal, in accordance with the Shariah (Islamic law), and approved by a credible physician preferably a Muslim for the benefit of both the mother and the child. “The permissibility of family planning is for the welfare of the mother and the child and for the couple to raise saleh (goodly) children who are pious, healthy, educated, useful and well-behaved citizens,” they stated.

Abortion, is a big NO as in other religions. The Qur’an sates: And kill not your children for fear of want, We provide sustenance for them and for you, the killing of them is a great sin. (17:31)

The Assembly upholds Islam as a religion of quality and has encouraged its people to increase and populate the earth with the provision that their quality should not be compromised as implied by the Qur’an. Islam is a religion of ease as declared by the Almighty Allah when He said, “And He has not laid upon you in religion any hardship.” (22:78). Equipped with this verse, on the 22nd of November 2003 at Davao City, the Assembly then ruled unanimously “that reproductive health and family planning, as practiced under valid reasons and recognized necessities, are in accordance with the teachings of Islam.”

So RH can be practiced by Muslims but are all of them aware of this and do they practice family planning? Well, not all of them are knowledgeable of the Fatwah on RH but there are those who plan the number of children they have based on practicality brought about by the financial crisis we are currently facing.

Rosslaini Sinarimbo and Sandee Balindong are both working Muslim mothers. Ross works with the Department of Trade and Industry ARMM region in Cotabato City and Sandee at the Commission on Audit for Region 10 in Cagayan de Oro City. Both are practicing family planning methods. Ross has been using the injectable type for a year now while Sandee has been taking pills since 1998.

I asked them both why is it necessary to family plan these days. Ross said, “I would like to break the culture of dependency that exists in our society. For a poor country like ours, to have an average household member of six, you cannot imagine how they make both ends meet. But of course, some basic needs are sacrificed or at least, the quality. It is also very common that the responsibility of the parents in providing for the family is extended usually to the eldest child. In many cases that responsibility is also coupled with taking care and providing for the needs of the parents when they get old. So the eldest child is caught between his responsibility to his parents and siblings, and to his own wife and children. The cycle of dependency continues. In Islam, it is the responsibility of the parents to provide for their children and not the other way around. That is why we need to plan our family and also plan for our retirement age.”

Sandee said, “I take the pill primarily for health reasons. My three pregnancies have been performed through caesarian section therefore it is necessary to practice child spacing. Life is also very financially constraining these days. We have to plan for our kids’ future also. It is so difficult having babies yearly.”

As for me, yes, I do believe we need to have birth spacing for three purposes. First for practicality especially in this time of world economic crisis.

Second, for health reasons. Science says it would take two to three years for a woman’s reproductive organs to completely heal after a pregnancy. And for the women who give birth every year, I am not saying what you are doing is a mistake. In fact, I salute you for it is physically and mentally draining conceiving and raising kids and yet, you are able to do so. (Well, our children do have this power to erase all our worries and tiredness at the end of a long and difficult day.) It is actually a choice for one to plan the number of children but what is important is that we are informed of its consequences.

The third reason is, the lesser number of children, we have, the more we would be able to give them the good quality of life they deserve.

It is still up to a couple to plan the number of kids they would like to have. The important thing is in the end,they are contented with their decisions and these decisions would able to produce happy, healthy and harmonious children.

This piece is for the most beautiful creatures ever created, to the children of the world, especially my beautiful sons. With God as my witness, you occupy my mind every minute of the day and you guys will forever have my unconditional love and care.