A gap between Law and Practice: A Community’s Perception of Unmarried Women’s Abortion Options in Nepal

Background
In 2002, the Nepalese abortion law went from being highly restrictive to fully liberal. This study aimed to explore a local
community’s perception of the situation for unmarried Nepalese women wanting to practice their legal right to abortion.

Methods
The study comprised a cross-sectional survey and in-depth interviews with men and women above the age of 16 years
living in the Makwanpur District, Nepal. The final data included 55 questionnaires and 16 interviews. The questionnaire
data was univariate analysed, while a condensation of meaning analysis was carried out on the interviews.

Results
The overall awareness of abortion being legal was high, although the extent of knowledge of the specific legal grounds
varied. Unmarried women were believed to have access to abortion services, although they risked stigmatisation due
to their marital status. The community attitude towards these women having abortions was very negative, hence it differed
from the legal acceptance of all women having the right to abortion. This was explained by societal norms on premarital
sexual activity. Generally, the participants felt that changing attitudes would be difficult but possible over time.

Conclusion
A considerable gap exists between the legal acceptance of abortion and community attitudes when it comes to unmarried
women as this group encounters barriers when wanting to practice their right. Therefore, these barriers need to be
addressed to allow unmarried Nepalese women access to safe abortion services without the risk of being stigmatised.
One possible alternative is educational initiatives such as disseminating information vigorously through mass media
to create awareness.

Keywords: abortion; unmarried women; Nepal; sexual and reproductive health and rights.