Abortion is legal in Nepal, but it is still criminalised. What does this mean for reproductive justice and what impact does it have on the reproductive health of women? Why are women still being driven to seek unsafe abortions? Why does our society still view abortion as something shameful and how does that affect the health and mental wellbeing of women?

Reporter Srijana Khadka speaks to healthcare workers from Ramechhap and Syangja about the degree of safety and level of access of abortion services available to women. She also interviews the Executive Director of FWLD and leading advocate Sabin Shrestha who has been working in the area of legalisation and decriminalisation of abortion.

This is the second part of our series on abortion rights in Nepal. We discuss about the cultural attitudes surrounding abortion in our homes, families and hospitals, and what that means for young Nepali women when they seek such services. And how does American politics around abortion rights actually could have an impact down the line in countries like Nepal.

Listen to part 1 here: https://bojubajai.org/episodes/74-abortion-rights-in-nepal-part-1/

Series credits:

Research by Shristi Shakya. You can follow her on Twitter at @shristishk https://twitter.com/shristishk

Reported by Srijana Khadka. She reports on social issues, especially concerning children and women, at ekagaj.com Follow her on Twitter at @seerukhadka

https://twitter.com/seerukhadka

Sound and Audio editor: Flekke and Phatcowlee

Boju Bajai regularly works with reporters and researchers to bring compelling audio stories that centre and amplify women’s experiences. If you would like to support our work, please consider being our patron here: www.patreon.com/bojubajai

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Related readings

Factsheet by FWLD on laws related to abortion rights: https://fwld.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/abortion-law-Fact-sheet.pdf

A translated transcript of the landmark ruling in 2009 in the case of state v. Lakshmi Dhital: https://reproductiverights.org/sites/crr.civicactions.net/files/documents/Lakshmi%20Dhikta%20-%20English%20translation.pdf

A special report by journalist Srijana Khadka on the gendered use of contraceptives in Nepal: https://ekagaj.com/article/special-report/25468/