Victory for Reproductive Rights in Nepal
The Supreme Court of Nepal recently ruled in favor of expanding abortion access throughout the country for all women in need of reproductive health services. The legislation requires that the government create a fund that will cover the costs of abortion services for low income women in the country who could not otherwise afford access to a safe abortion procedure. The new fund will also be used to educate health providers as well as the public about the country’s abortion laws, since 80% of rural women in the country are not even aware that abortion is legal.
Abortion only became legal in Nepal in 2002, before then it was common for women to be imprisoned for abortion-related offenses. Abortion is now legal in the country during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to 18 weeks of pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, fetal impairment, or risk of maternal mortality. It is increasingly important that the population of Nepal be educated about the country’s abortion laws and their commitment to providing abortion services to all women of all financial classes because it is common for the women of Nepal to suffer extreme health complications and even die due to receiving unsafe and damaging abortion services.
Melissa Upreti of the Center for Reproductive Rights in Asia has stated that this new ruling is one of the most important legal victories for women in Nepal in almost a decade. The country’s decision to expand abortion access shows that Nepal is committed to protecting the health and the lives of the women who reside there. Many women have been forced to suffer in silence before this ruling due to their inability to pay for safe abortion services as well as their lack of information. This new legislation means more than merely keeping reproductive health services legal–It means that every single women in need of those services are able to receive them regardless of financial means.
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