In 2016, a women’s group in Nepal invited everyone to step into their shoes. They said: “After 14 years of legalization of abortion, which led to reduced maternal mortality related to unsafe abortion and improved women’s health in Nepal, it is really sad to state abortion is still stigmatized in the country, which has restricted women’s access to safe abortion. As a result, unsafe abortions and the consequences surrounding them still persist.”
They continued: “Media has been known to be an effective tool for promoting women’s sexual and reproductive health rights in Nepal. However, the rising stigmatization of abortion services as being a dangerous procedure by the popular national media houses in Nepal has been a major factor in fuelling individual, family and societal stigma in the country.”
“Recently, an article entitled “Abortion at a young age” with a picture of a distressed pregnant woman was published in a national daily newspaper which was shared 1,900 times online. The article solely focused on the high number of young women accessing abortion, rather than analyzing the reasons behind why unwanted pregnancies occur and their reasons for its termination. Not a single sentence in the article focused on the role of men in causing an unwanted pregnancy. Not surprising, as the majority of the sentences depicted the deeply entrenched patriarchal mindset of the writer, who tried to ignored reproductive health and rights of women and young girls guaranteed by the constitution and presumed women to just have reproductive roles.” The article continued by quoting one statement after another of false information about abortion, from the mouths of men.
Cut to 2024, when we learn that in Nepal, development aid cuts now also threaten safe abortion gains. “Dwindling aid has shut down family planning clinics across Nepal… Gains made in Nepal on lowering maternal deaths from unsafe abortion stand to be undone by a drastic drop in interest from international donors, experts have warned — and (as with the rest of the world) a Donald Trump return to the White House would make things worse.”
“Nepal’s remote and mountainous topography remains a barrier to accessing health care, but huge strides have been made in the past 20 years toward lowering maternal deaths from unsafe abortion. After legalizing abortion in 2002, the maternal mortality ratio dropped from 539 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 1996 to 151 in 2021, and the severity of complications from unsafe abortions significantly reduced during that period. Programs to improve awareness and access to safe abortion initially relied heavily on foreign donors — particularly the United States.” But now what?
SOURCES: How about stepping into our shoes? by Bonita Sharma, Smirti Thapa, 21 September 2016 ; Devex, by Catherine Davison, 4 November 2024.