Number of abortion cases are on the rise in Nepal every year. Dr. Ombiju Panta of the District Hospital, Khotang, said this year as many as 78 women received the safe abortion services. Last year, only 42 women had taken such service, reports RSS.The Supreme Court of Nepal ruled that the country’s government must guarantee access to safe and affordable abortion services. Specifically, it affirmed the need for a comprehensive abortion law and emphasized the government’s obligation to ensure that no woman is denied a legal abortion just because she cannot pay for it.
The case, which was filed by the Forum for Women, Law and Development, Pro-Public and a group of human rights lawyers in February 2007, centers on Lakshmi Dhikta, an impoverished, rural woman. Lakshmi was unable to get a legal abortion when she became pregnant for the sixth time because she could not pay the required service fee – Nepali rupees 1130 (approximately 20 USD at the time). As a consequence, she was forced to carry her unintended pregnancy to term.
