Question: What is the kaffara of abortion?
Answer: In case the mother aborts the child, she must give the indemnity (blood money) to the father or other heirs. And if the father carries out the abortion, the indemnity is obligatory on him and he must give it to the mother. If it is the doctor who carries out the abortion, it is obligatory on him to give the blood money to the mother and father, even if he may abort the fetus on the parents’ request. He must give the blood money except if the heirs (i.e. the mother and father)exempt him.
It would suffice for the blood money of the fetus into which soul has entered to give 5250 mithqals of silver. That is when the fetus is male and if it is female, half of that amount should be paid.
If the fetus is lifeless and it is in the form of a fertilized ovum (zygote), 105 mithqals of silver would suffice for the blood money. In case it is in the form of a leech-like substance, the indemnity is 210 mithqals. If it develops into a chewed-like substance, the indemnity is 315 mithqals. If the fetus has bones, 420 mithqals of silver would suffice. If it has developed into a complete human body with grown up limbs and organs, the indemnity is 525 mithqals of silver. If the fetus is soulless, there is no difference between a male fetus and a female one as an obligatory precaution. The Soul enters the body at the fourth month of pregnancy except for when it is proved otherwise through modern technology.
If the fetus is alive and it is aborted, the indemnity is 5250 mithqal of silver for a male child and 2625 mithqal for a female child.
*Every mithqal of silver is equivalent to 4.64 g of Silver.*
Ayatollah Al-Sayyid Ali Al-Husseini Al-Sistani