The twenty-second pre-session of the International Conference on Ethical Analyses of Fetus Advocates, titled “The Value of Childbearing and the Issue of Abortion,” was held on Saturday, December 27, 2025, Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy. The session was delivered by Dr. Alireza Ale Bouyeh, Associate Professor at Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy.
In this session, Dr. Ale Bouyeh stated that one of the most significant contemporary issues in applied ethics is whether childbearing is morally justified or not. He first presented the arguments of opponents of childbearing and then offered a detailed critique of them. Ultimately, drawing on Qur’anic theology, he argued for the moral legitimacy of childbearing on the following grounds:
- A child is a gift and a bestowal from God;
- Childbearing is a manifestation of divine creatorship;
- Childbearing is in harmony with the order of creation;
- Childbearing is a rational response to natural human instincts.
He further explained that in the Holy Qur’an, the word hiba (gift/bestowal) and its derivatives appear nineteen times, fifteen of which are related to children.
Accordingly, human beings should be deeply grateful to God for choosing them to receive this gift, and they should not reject the divine gift on the basis of unfounded or selfish excuses. Abortion is a refusal to accept God’s gift, whereas preserving the fetus signifies remaining within the bounds of true humanity and accepting its attendant responsibilities.