The case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in Nepal and beyond
Summary: Our Viewpoint makes the case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion in Nepal (and beyond) as a key strategy to removing barriers to abortion care. The criminal framing of abortion—even if subject to exceptions—creates legal barriers to accessing abortion, which then compound socio-c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772368225000873 |
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| author | Sabrina Germain Mara Malagodi Roshani Regmi Radhika Saxena Shivani Shinde |
| author_facet | Sabrina Germain Mara Malagodi Roshani Regmi Radhika Saxena Shivani Shinde |
| author_sort | Sabrina Germain |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Summary: Our Viewpoint makes the case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion in Nepal (and beyond) as a key strategy to removing barriers to abortion care. The criminal framing of abortion—even if subject to exceptions—creates legal barriers to accessing abortion, which then compound socio-cultural and medical barriers. Nepal represents fertile ground for abortion law reform centred on complete decriminalisation due to its pioneering constitutional approach to sexual and reproductive health rights. However, even in Nepal's liberal context, the enduring partial criminalisation of abortion hinders abortion access, especially for historically marginalised groups and in remote areas. This Viewpoint recommends complete decriminalisation in Nepal and South and Southeast Asian countries facing similar socio-legal barriers to abortion access. Our position as legal experts echoes calls for the complete decriminalisation of abortion by national and international medical professional bodies, which we hope will inform regional strategies to improve access to safe abortions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0d8430d2be42498c903ed19ff9669d3f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2772-3682 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia |
| spelling | doaj-art-0d8430d2be42498c903ed19ff9669d3f2025-08-20T03:31:06ZengElsevierThe Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia2772-36822025-07-013810061610.1016/j.lansea.2025.100616The case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in Nepal and beyondSabrina Germain0Mara Malagodi1Roshani Regmi2Radhika Saxena3Shivani Shinde4The City Law School, City St George's, University of London, London, UK; Corresponding auhtor. The City Law School, City St George's, University of London, Northampton Square, EC1V 0HB, UK.University of Warwick School of Law, University of Warwick, Coventry, UKiProbono, London, UKiProbono, London, UKiProbono, London, UKSummary: Our Viewpoint makes the case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion in Nepal (and beyond) as a key strategy to removing barriers to abortion care. The criminal framing of abortion—even if subject to exceptions—creates legal barriers to accessing abortion, which then compound socio-cultural and medical barriers. Nepal represents fertile ground for abortion law reform centred on complete decriminalisation due to its pioneering constitutional approach to sexual and reproductive health rights. However, even in Nepal's liberal context, the enduring partial criminalisation of abortion hinders abortion access, especially for historically marginalised groups and in remote areas. This Viewpoint recommends complete decriminalisation in Nepal and South and Southeast Asian countries facing similar socio-legal barriers to abortion access. Our position as legal experts echoes calls for the complete decriminalisation of abortion by national and international medical professional bodies, which we hope will inform regional strategies to improve access to safe abortions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772368225000873AbortionComplete decriminalisationNepalSexual and reproductive health rightsAccess barriers |
| spellingShingle | Sabrina Germain Mara Malagodi Roshani Regmi Radhika Saxena Shivani Shinde The case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in Nepal and beyond The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia Abortion Complete decriminalisation Nepal Sexual and reproductive health rights Access barriers |
| title | The case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in Nepal and beyond |
| title_full | The case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in Nepal and beyond |
| title_fullStr | The case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in Nepal and beyond |
| title_full_unstemmed | The case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in Nepal and beyond |
| title_short | The case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in Nepal and beyond |
| title_sort | case for the complete decriminalisation of abortion care in nepal and beyond |
| topic | Abortion Complete decriminalisation Nepal Sexual and reproductive health rights Access barriers |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772368225000873 |
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