TO BE OR NOT TO BE: ARE CRYOPRESERVED EMBRYOS PROTECTED UNDER THE SHARIAH?

Majdah Zawawi; Bilal Hussain

doi:10.33102/mjsl.vol12no2.705

Authors

Majdah Zawawi Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws(AIKOL), International Islamic University Malaysia PO Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4635-3595
Bilal Hussain Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws(AIKOL), International Islamic University Malaysia PO Box 10, 50728 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2842-4185

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol12no2.705

Keywords:

Cryopreserved embryos, preservation of life, right to life, Sharīʿah

Abstract

One of the main aims of the Sharīʿah (maqāṣid al-sharīʿah) is the protection of human life (hifz al-nafs). Advances in medical science have similar aims and have created technology to assist infertile couples to overcome their infertility. One of the technologies developed to further simplify this process is the ability to freeze excess embryos to be stored for long periods of time through cryopreservation. This technology allows infertile couples to use these embryos when they opt for treatment not only once but multiple times. Despite its benefits, the cryopreservation of embryos could bring about several legal issues. This study focuses on the legal status of cryopreserved embryos in two situations. The first is in the event of divorce between the parties and the second is in the event of death of one or both of the parties. The main concern in these two situations is does the couple have full authority to decide what happens to their embryos, even to the extent of allowing them to perish? Are cryopreserved embryos protected under the Sharīʿah? This paper analyzes the sanctity of human embryos within the Sharīʿah and legal frameworks in selected Muslim countries, with particular emphasis on issues of right to life and their potential legal repercussions on human society. In applying a comparative approach, this paper aims to shed light on the ethico-legal complexities surrounding cryopreserved human embryos under the Sharīʿah.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

A. Samad, A. (2015). Sulalatus salatin. Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Abolaji, A. T., & Muda, F. S. (2018). Maqāṣid Al-Sharīʿah: A pathway for protecting children’s right to health. Jurnal Undang-Undang dan Masyarakat, 22, 75-84.

Adli Khaled, A. (2008). The penal protection of the embryo in the light of contemporary techniques (Arabic version). Dar Fiker Jamie.

Al Kareem, J. A. J. (2019). Jurisprudential rulings related to the fertilized eggs. Journal of Department of Shariah and Law Asyut, 31(2), 1164-1283.

Alaro, A. A. (2012). Assisted reproductive technology (ART): The Islamic law perspective. In Islam and bioethics (pp. 95-108).

Alawi, S. (2019, September 23). “Egg freezing permissible in Islam, according to Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta”. Bill of Health. https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2019/09/23/egg-freezing-permissible-in-islam-according-to-egypts-dar-al-ifta/

Al-Bakri, D. D. Z. B. M. (2020). Muzakarah Syarak Law No 122; for oocytes and sperm cryopreservation bank among single (unmarried) cancer patient. Islamic Mufti Office Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

Al-Bar, M. A., & Chamsi-Pasha, H. (2015). Contemporary bioethics: Islamic perspective. Springer Nature.

Al-Baz, A. (2014). Oocyte and sperm-embryo cryopreservation (sperm and egg freezing) between medicine and Islamic jurisprudence. DIRASAT: Shari'a and Law Sciences, 41(1), 215-234.

Al-Ghazālī, A. Ḥ. M. (2010). Iḥyā ʻulūm al-dīn. Dār al-Fayḥā’.

Al-Kasani, A. A. B. M. (1986). Bada’i ‘al-Sana’i. Maktabah Ilmiyah.

Al-Khayyat, A. A. (1981). The ruling on infertility in Islam. Ministry of Affairs and Endowments.

Al-Misriyyah Da-I. (2021). Amaliyyat tajmid al-buwaydat bi al-dawabit al-shar'iyyah laysa fiha mahzur. Dar Al-Ifta.

Al-Raysuni. (1995). Nazariyyat al-maqasid ind al-Imam al-Shatibi. Al-Ma'ahad al-Alamiy li al-Fikr al-Islamiyy.

Al-Shawkānī, M. I. A. (2004). Fath al-Qadīr. Dār al-Kalim al-Tayyib.

Atighetchi, D. (2007). Islamic bioethics: Problems and perspectives. Springer.

Ayeni, J. V., Omidoyin, T. J., & Bamidele, I. (2023). Cryopreservation of human embryos in an in-vitro fertilisation procedure: The need for a legal framework in Nigeria. F1000 Research, 12(569), 1-15.

Belova, G. (2019). Some remarks on the legal status of human embryo. Kutafin Law Review, 6(1), 2-12.

Chamsi-Pasha, H., & Albar, M. A. (2015). Assisted reproductive technology: Islamic Sunni perspective. Human Fertility, 18(2), 107-112.

Cryo. (n.d.). In Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/cryo-

Dolgin, J. L. (2006). Surrounding embryos: Biology, ideology, and politics. Health Matrix, 16(27), 27-64.

Fasouliotis, S. J., & Schenker, J. G. (1996). Cryopreservation of embryos: Medical, ethical, and legal issues. Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 13, 756-761. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02066493

Fayadh, K. H. (2019). The legal status of IVF embryos in Iraq. Journal of Anbar University for Law & Political Sciences, 9(1), 479-501.

Forman, D. L. (2011). Embryo disposition and divorce: Why clinic consent forms are not the answer. Journal of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, 24(1), 57-105.

Gad sEl-Haq, A. (1980). Fatwa regarding in vitro fertilization and test tube babies. Dar El Iftaa Cairo Egypt.

George, R. P., & Tollefsen, C. (2011). A defense of human life (2nd ed.). Witherspoon Institute.

Humaysh, A. A. (2007). Qadaya Fiqhiyyah Muasirah. Jamiat al-Shariqah.

Hussain, B., Sultana, I., Fatima, K., Nadeem, M. T., & Hussain, Z. (2022). Advancement of biotechnology and family laws in Pakistan: An analytical study. Multicultural Education, 8(6), 254-260.

Ibn Al-Qayim. (1982). Al-Tibyān fī Aqsām Al-Qur'ān. Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmīyah.

Ibn Hazm, A. M. 'A. (1900). Al-Muhalla. Dar al-Fikr.

Ibn Nujaym, I. Z. (2013). al-Baḥr al-Rāʼiq Sharḥ Kanz al-Daqāʼiq. Dār al-Kitāb al-ʼIslāmī.

Ibn Qudāmah, ʻA. A. (1968). Al-Mughnī. Maktabat al-Qāhirah.

Idris, A. F. M. (1993). Qadaya Tibbiyah min Manzur Islami. Abd al-Fattah Mahmud Idris.

Islamic Fiqh Academy (IFA). (1989). Issue six (Part Three, pp. 2151-2152). In Proceedings of the Islamic Fiqh Academy.

Jang, T. H., Park, S. C., Yang, J. H., Kim, J. Y., Seok, J. H., Park, U. S., Choi, C. W., Lee, S. R., & Han, J. (2017). Cryopreservation and its clinical applications. Integrative Medicine Research, 6(1), 12–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.imr.2016.12.001

Lutfi, A. M. (2006). Artificial fertilizing: Between sayings of physicians and opinions of jurists (Arabic version). Dar Fiker Jamie.

Majallat Majma’ al-Fiqh al-Islami. (1993). Qadaya Tibbiyah min Manzur Islami. In A. M. Idris (Ed.), Proceedings of the Islamic Fiqh Academy.

Marcovitch, H. (2005). Black's medical dictionary. A&C Black.

Salihi, S. (2001). Artificial fertilizing between Islamic Sharia and positive laws (Arabic version). Dar Nahda Arabia.

Shestak, V. A., Tsyplakova, A. D., & Kholikov, I. V. (2023). Legal situation regarding assessed reproduction technologies in Muslim countries. Siberian Journal of Life Sciences and Agriculture, 15(1), 435-453.

Van Loggerenberg, B. S. (2021). The legal nature of a cryopreserved human embryo: A legal comparative analysis (Doctoral dissertation). North-West University (South Africa).

Zoahraa, M., & Shafie, S. (2006). An Islamic perspective on IVF and PGD, with particular reference to Zain Hashmi, and other similar cases. Arab Law Quarterly, 20(2), 152-182.

Zubair, H. M. (2023, November 21). “(Surrogate Mother) Kiraye Ki Maa”. Ghamidi Center of Islamic Learning. https://shorturl.at/yzLRT