Assisted reproductive technology: Islamic Sunni perspective

Abstract

Background: Islam acknowledges that infertility is a significant hardship. Attempts to cure infertility are not only permissible, but also encouraged in Islam. Over the last three decades, a multitude of advances in assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have appeared. This review was carried out to inform readers, who are not familiar with Islamic doctrine, about the Sunni perspective on this topic. Study design: Systematic review of the literature. Method: A series of searches was conducted of Medline databases published in English between January 1978 and December 2013 with the following Keywords: assisted reproduction, infertility, gender selection, ethics, bioethics, and Islam. Results: In Islamic Sunni law, all ARTs are allowed, provided that the source of the sperm, ovum, and uterus comes from a legally married couple during the span of their marriage. All forms of surrogacy are forbidden. A third-party donor is not allowed, whether he or she is providing sperm, eggs, embryos, or a uterus. Frozen preimplantation may be transferred to the wife in a successive cycle provided the marital bondage is not absolved by death or divorce. Gender selection for medical reasons is permitted. It is allowed for limited social reasons by some jurists, provided it does not involve discrimination against either sex. Conclusions: ART is acceptable and commendable in Islamic Sunni law provided it is practiced within the husband and wife dyad during the span of their marital contract. No third party should intrude upon the marital function of procreation. Surrogacy is not accepted by Sunni Islamic authorities.

Keywords::

• assisted reproduction
• infertility
• gender selection
• ethics
• bioethics
• islam

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.