Nepal – Rights activists urge full decriminalisation of abortion

By Ram Kumar Kamat
Feb 16, 2026

KATHMANDU – Shradha Adhikari, who is a nurse with Sunaulo Parivar Nepal clinic in Kathmandu that provides reproductive health services, including safe abortion, feels pride for having an opportunity to providing safe abortion services to women and girls who would otherwise have opted for unsafe practices leading to risk of her life.

She, however, lives in constant fear of facing criminal cases for providing abortion service. Some of my friends, who have provided safe abortion services, have been asked to report to police or record their statement in the court and I always fear that I might face the same situation, Adhikari added.

Continued: https://thehimalayantimes.com/ampArticle/1036749

Nepal – Legal safeguards fail to curb abortion prosecution

Nepal’s abortion law protects rights on paper but women still risk arrest and harassment.

Aarya Chand
February 8, 2026

Kalpana, a resident of Siraha, was not seeking to abort the child. She was seeking medical care.

After a miscarriage, Kalpana, who the Post is identifying with a pseudonym to protect her privacy, was taken to a hospital for treatment. Instead, she was accused of having undergone an illegal abortion. The police were informed and she was arrested.

Months later, Siraha District Court cleared her of the charges by declaring that what had actually occurred was a natural miscarriage.

Continued: https://kathmandupost.com/national/2026/02/08/legal-safeguards-fail-to-curb-abortion-prosecution

Contraceptive shortages are driving up abortions in Nepal

Abortion rate has risen by over 31 percent in four years, and experts say unsafe abortions could put maternal health at risk.

Arjun Poudel
January 2, 2026

Amid a shortage of family planning commodities, including birth control shots and implants, health facilities across the country are reporting a sharp rise in abortions.

According to data provided by the Ministry of Health and Population, 105,099 women terminated their pregnancies in the fiscal year 2023-24, up from 94,463 in the fiscal year 2022-23. In the fiscal year 2021-22, a total of 90,733 women underwent abortion, while the number stood at 79,972 in the fiscal year 2020-21.

Continued: https://kathmandupost.com/health/2026/01/02/contraceptive-shortages-are-driving-up-abortions-in-nepal

02.01.2026

Family Planning Association of Nepal

maternal mortality

Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act

UN Population Fund

unintended pregnancies

Nepal – Childhood memory sparks a film on unsafe abortions

Patrika Ghimire, who won the Best Student Film Award at the European Union Film Festival, talks about her debut film and how growing up in a remote village inspired her to be a filmmaker.

Britta Gfeller
November 24, 2025

Nine films by Nepali students were selected for screening at the 14th European Union Film Festival in Nepal (EUFF). The EUFF had received more than 50 submissions. Out of the nine short films screened at the festival, the jury awarded Patrika Ghimire’s ‘What Grows in Thari Maila’s Vegetable Garden?’ as the best student film, stating that “this is a film that has chilled our hearts and provoked our minds.”

In this interview with the Post’s Britta Gfeller, Ghimire reflects on her dreams and struggles as a young Nepali filmmaker.

Continued: https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2025/11/24/childhood-memory-sparks-a-film-on-unsafe-abortions

24.11.2025

Film, Art, Books

abortion film

European Union Film Festival

Patrika Ghimire

What Grows in Thari Maila’s Vegetable Garden?

Advancing disability-inclusive abortion care

“Women with disabilities are often excluded in information on sexual and reproductive health, including safe abortion and contraception.”

Ipas
Oct 2025

Disability Justice is reproductive justice.
Everyone has the right to make decisions about their body and health. But for people with disabilities, that right is often denied by health systems that ignore their needs and exclude them by design.

At Ipas, we know that reproductive justice is impossible without disability justice. That’s why we’re transforming programs, policies, and spaces to center accessibility and include the leadership of people with disabilities. Guided by our Feminist Principles for Partnership, we’re working to build abortion and contraception ecosystems that serve everyone.

Continued: https://www.ipas.org/our-work/advancing-disability-inclusive-abortion-care/

22.10.2025

Commentary

abortion and disability

Advocacy for Women with Disabilities

Deaf Women Association of Nigeria

disability justice

Ipas

Ipas Nepal

Sins Invalid collective

NEPAL – Call for Safe Abortion Legal Reform and Expanded Services

Still women and girls are not able to exercise this right easily.

(Google translated by the site)
Sep 26, 2025

The 11th National Safe Abortion Service Day is being celebrated across the country today with the message that 'safe abortion service is not an option for a safe life, it is a fundamental right'. But still women and girls are not able to exercise this right easily.

Health workers, women's rights workers and stakeholders have emphasized that the government should take concrete steps for immediate legal reform, expansion of services and effective implementation.

Continued: https://ekantipur.com/health/2025/09/26/en/call-for-safe-abortion-legal-reform-and-expanded-services-58-54.html

26.09.2025

News

International Safe Abortion Day

Safe Maternal and Reproductive Health Rights Act

Women Law and Development Forum

Five Wins to Celebrate this International Safe Abortion Day

September 28 is International Safe Abortion Day, a chance to shine a light on the crucial role that accessible, quality abortion care plays in global health. These five wins for abortion rights are proof that a better future is not only possible—it’s already in the making.

Center for Reproductive Rights
09.26.2025

Abortion is one of the world’s most common health care services. It’s considered an essential service by the World Health Organization—and when carried out properly, it’s also a safe and simple one.

Almost 30% of all pregnancies end in abortions, and they happen all around the world: in places where they’re legal, restricted, and altogether banned. In fact, the legal status of abortion makes little difference in overall abortion rates.

Continued: https://reproductiverights.org/five-wins-international-safe-abortion-day-2025/

Rising together: How grassroots leaders are lifting the next generation in Nepal

Ipas
Aug 8, 2025

In rural Nepal, women’s lives have often been restricted by silence and unspoken rules. From menstruation taboos to misinformation on family planning and abortion, many young women are taught to accept harmful practices as normal. For years, Himali Khatri did too. “I am almost 40 years old, and until now, I have never received such knowledge about reproductive health,” she says.

Everything shifted for Khatri when she was selected for Natural Leaders training through Ipas Nepal, a five-day program designed for women with the potential to influence change in their communities. The training covers sexual and reproductive health and rights, safe abortion, family planning, gender-based violence, and climate resilience.

Continued: https://www.ipas.org/news/rising-together-how-grassroots-leaders-are-lifting-the-next-generation-in-nepal/

08.08.2025

Commentary

Videos/Images

gender-based violence

Himali Khatri

Ipas Nepal

Natural Leaders training

Current abortion law in Nepal leading to unsafe practices

Although Nepal's Constitution and international women's rights movements guarantee the right to safe abortion, experts have pointed out that the recent Safe Abortion Act has narrowed this right, effectively criminalizing both service seekers and providers.

By Pabitra Sunar
June 17, 2025

KATHMANDU, June 17: Although Nepal's Constitution and international women's rights movements guarantee the right to safe abortion, experts have pointed out that the recent Safe Abortion Act has narrowed this right, effectively criminalizing both service seekers and providers.

This concern was raised by presenters during a recently held dialogue on reproductive rights. … experts argue that despite these provisions, the law has effectively criminalized the right to abortion. Pushpa Joshi, a member of YoSHAN, stated that the existing legal framework automatically leads to criminalization. As a result, instead of accessing safe abortion services, many women are forced into unsafe abortions, she said.

Continued: https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/current-abortion-law-in-nepal-leading-to-unsafe-practices-92-31.html

Experts Gather for Screening and Discussion of New Documentary on Abortion Reform in Nepal

Event in Kathmandu organized by the Center for Reproductive Rights and the Nepal-based Forum for Women, Law and Development.

May 30, 2025

The Center for Reproductive Rights and the Nepal-based Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) marked the release of a new documentary on Nepal abortion reform by hosting a screening and panel discussion in Kathmandu.

The documentary, Collective Voyage: A Tireless Journey for Ensuring the Right to Safe Abortion in Nepal, showcases Nepal’s remarkable 25-year journey from abortion as a crime to what is now a fundamental, constitutional right.

Continued; https://reproductiverights.org/documentary-launch-abortion-reform-nepal/

30.05.2025