To kill is the story. As far as guilt is concerned, there is no difference between the person who takes someone's life and the person who supplies the murder weapon. Abortion is a crime and a black market thrives in the Kingdom for illegal abortion drugs, which are smuggled into the country from neighboring Bahrain. Sold under the counter at pharmacies, the drugs are advertised on the Internet and with the authorities doing little to regulate access to the drugs consumers can buy them with ease. Many obstetricians say the drugs are only banned due to misuse. If doctors determine that an abortion is necessary, when the mother's life is in danger, for example, then the abortion drugs can be prescribed. Religious scholars, however, have called for an outright ban on the sale of abortion drugs in pharmacies, as they believe there are very few cases where terminating a pregnancy is religiously sanctioned. When the Kingdom's regulators confiscate illegal medications, the culprit is either referred to the police or set free depending on the severity of the crime. This is despite the fact that most religious scholars have stated that after a fetal heartbeat is detected, it is prohibited to terminate a pregnancy and such an act will be considered as murder. Lax regulations Many unemployed young men resort to selling illegal medications, such as abortion drugs, to make easy money. A pharmacist who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that many of his colleagues charge up to SR2,000 for a pill that they sell under the counter. Drugs that are often illegal in an Arab country are not in another, making smuggling them much easier. A border patrol inspector who works at the King Fahd Causeway, which connects Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, revealed that smuggling of banned medications is very common. Among these banned medications are abortion and dieting medications. When these banned items are confiscated, smugglers can only be fined between SR1,500 and SR3,000. “In most cases there is no fine. Most smugglers of these medications are doctors and pharmacists. They smuggle them into the Kingdom to sell to distributors who discreetly sell them to consumers. With these medications, they can also create new compounds for the same purpose,” he said. Three simultaneous crimes Sheikh Saleh Saad Alihaidan, senior consultant psychologist at the Arab Gulf Psychological Association, said young men and women who have committed fornication should not be given the option to abort a fetus. He went on to say that the sinful relationship between a young man and woman is in itself a crime, using this procedure to abort the child is a crime while aborting the child is another crime. “This adds up to three crimes in one act. Abortion pills are readily available in the market. Therefore, the Ministry of Health should collaborate with the Ministry of Interior to seriously ban these medications. As for young girls and boys who have committed fornication, they should seal their relationship with marriage to protect their honor and the life of their child,” he said. Sheikh Muhammad Al-Nijimy, a member of the Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America and an expert at the International Fiqh Academy, said abortion medications should be banned as the need for abortion results from two scenarios: either the abortion becomes necessary because of a medical condition and has been decided by qualified hospital staff or it is sought as a solution to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. “In the case of the former, abortion medications are religiously allowed. However, if the fetus is older than 82 days, then abortion is prohibited. As for women who take non-prescribed abortion medications, that is unlawful and religiously prohibited,” he said. ‘Smugglers are criminals' Legal consultant Humoud Alkhaldi said smuggling abortion medications is a crime since abortion itself is prohibited especially if a fetal heartbeat is detected. He further clarified that abortion in earlier stages of the fetus is debatable but once the heart starts beating, it becomes a clear murder. “Legally speaking, the punishment of abortion is issued by the judge as Tazir (punishment administered at the discretion of the judge). This punishment is applied on the mother, doctor, smuggler and anyone else involved in the abortion process. Clinics and pharmacies that were involved in the abortion process should also be reported to the police so action can be taken against them,” Alkhaldi said. Consultant gynecologist Dr. Basimah Nabulsi said abortion medications are essentially harmless and can prove to be lifesaving. However, Nabulsi said she does support the banning of these medications in Saudi Arabia due to widespread misuse. “Many of these medications were designed for stomach ulcers and not abortions. Anyone can consult the Internet and learn how to use them. Essentially, these medications are very cheap, but after their prohibition, many are taking advantage of the situation to make easy money. The reason why there aren't any fixed regulations against these medications is that they are not harmful if used in the right manner and for their intended purpose,” she said. – SG
