Nepal marks Safe Abortion Day with a hard access gap
Nepal has the laws, but stigma, distance and information gaps are still pushing many abortions outside safe care.
Republica / myRepublica reports that Nepal is marking its 12th National Safe Abortion Day with a sharp gap between legal rights and real access. Nepal legalized abortion under certain conditions in 2002, later recognized safe motherhood and reproductive health as constitutional rights, and passed the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act in 2018. But citing a 2022 Family Welfare Division and Ipas Nepal study, Republica says around 52% of abortions in Nepal are unsafe. In an interview, FWLD Executive Director Sabin Shrestha said barriers still include limited information, cost, distance, stigma, confidentiality concerns and too few certified providers, especially in rural and remote areas. Shrestha also said more than 300,000 abortions take place in Nepal each year, and around 45% of women of reproductive age lack information about safe abortion services, citing national survey data.
Why it matters: For our DMV Nepali and South Asian diaspora audience, Nepal’s reproductive-rights fight is not just about what the law says; it is about access, privacy, cost, and stigma. Those are community conversations that travel across borders and generations.
Sources
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