about ipas
newsroom
what we do
where we work
products
publications
contact

September 26, 2002

King Gyanendra of Nepal today gave official royal assent to an historic new law making abortion available on request in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and permitting it up to 18 weeks in cases of rape or incest. The law also permits abortion at any time in case of endangerment to the woman's life or serious fetal impairment. Ipas joins women's health advocates worldwide in applauding the move, which will have a significant impact in reducing high levels of maternal mortality and morbidity as a result of unsafe abortion.

The king's action follows the Nepali parliament's approval of the bill in March. It transforms the Himalayan kingdom's abortion policy from among the most restrictive in the world to one of the more liberal. Until now, Nepali law has not allowed abortion under any circumstances, and women suspected of having abortions have been vigorously prosecuted. Fully one-fifth of women imprisoned in Nepal are there for having had abortions, which has been punishable by a life sentence. Unsafe abortion reportedly accounts for half of all deaths of women related to pregnancy in Nepal, which has Asia's second-highest maternal mortality ratio - estimated at 830 deaths of women for every 100,000 live births.

Ipas has been involved in Nepal's efforts to make postabortion care and abortion safer since 1998. The organization's recent work toward this critical objective has included providing technical support to the Abortion Task Force (ATF) formed by the Nepali government's Family Health Division to plan and implement the new legislation. The task force consists of representatives from health institutions, nongovernmental organizations, health practitioners, policy experts and donors. Its immediate tasks include drafting and finalizing policy guidance and developing medical standards and guidelines for providing safe abortion services.

Ipas's contribution to this effort has included sharing global and regional experiences in increasing women's access to safe abortion care, reviewing and making suggestions on policy documents and proposed rules and regulations concerning delivery of abortion services, and sharing guidelines and curricula from other countries.

Ipas is an international nongovernmental organization that has worked for nearly three decades to reduce abortion-related deaths and injuries and to increase women's ability to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights. Ipas's global and country programs include training, research, advocacy, distribution of reproductive health technologies, and information dissemination.

Find more information on Nepal:


For more information, contact:
Kirsten Sherk
Senior Associate, Media Relations
e-mail: sherkk@ipas.org
phone: 919.960.5612
fax: 919.929.0258