The Latifa Women and Children's Hospital in Dubai receives requests from pregnant mothers to abort their babies after discovering embryos with genetic diseases or congenital malformations, which is presented directly to the Ethics Committee for decision, according to both scientific and legal opinions.
The Executive Director of the hospital, Dr. Mona Tahlak, revealed to the «Emirates Today», that the Committee agreed to abort 10 cases within a year, on the approval of the Committee and the fetus.
"Special tools and tools have been introduced in the early detection of genetic diseases and congenital malformations of fetuses since the first weeks; allowing the fetus to know his condition early, so the hospital administration receives requests from the fetus's parents to abort it before the pregnancy is complete," she said. Dubai has created the Ethical Responsibility Committee, which consists of specialized doctors in the case under consideration, and a scholar of religion to benefit from the legal opinion, based on the circumstances of each case, to finally come out with a decision to request the parents, either by acceptance or rejection, after studying the case from all Ways".
The majority of the cases reported to the Committee, as confirmed by the deceased, revolve around the discovery of fetal abnormalities or hereditary genetic diseases, which may affect his life negatively thereafter, or may constitute a danger to the life of the mother, as well as Mongolian children, and the marriage of relatives is one of the main reasons In the infection of the fetuses of these diseases, and that the use of mothers some drugs during pregnancy can also cause health problems and abnormalities in the embryos, so every mother to check before obtaining any medication and consult with specialists before the treatment.
A member of the Ethical Responsibility Committee, the senior preacher in the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, Dr. Abdullah Al-Hammadi, stated that once a request for abortions was received for various reasons, the committee is studying the case thoroughly, to reach a final decision to abort the fetus or reject the application. A committee of ethical responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, and another committee of the Health Authority in Dubai, were established to regulate and control requests for abortion of fetuses provided by the parents of the child, and does not come to the decision of the approval of the Committee only after making sure that there are no other solutions can be taken ».
He pointed out that the most prominent reasons for consent to abortion of the fetus is that the maintenance of the threat to the life of the mother, the Committee considers in this case the disposal of the fetus is necessary, after the consent of parents, and after exhaustion of all possible solutions.
The abortion decision, according to Al-Hammadi, is not subject to the parents' wishes, simply because they find the fetus infected with a disease, but is ultimately subject to strict scientific opinion and legal and legal opinion. The committee often examines the situation of the family as a whole.