For Immediate Release:	March 15, 2002
For More Information:	Tony Kerridge, Marie Stopes International, 020 7574 7416
Sponsor Organization:	Marie Stopes International
APPROVED BILL WILL GIVE WOMEN MANY OF THE RIGHTS DENIED TO THEM FOR A LONG TIME
Global reproductive health agency, Marie Stopes International (MSI), today welcomed the news from Nepal that a Bill has been approved that will give women many of the rights denied to them for a long time, including the right to abortion. Several years of delay and speculation were ended when the controversial Women’s Bill was passed almost unanimously yesterday by the House of Representatives. The Bill will become law after it receives Royal assent. Among other important civil rights changes for women, the new bill legalises the abortion of embryos up to 12 weeks gestation under any circumstances, so long as it is with the husbands' consent and with the help of government authorised paramedics or surgeons. The Bill also allows the victims of rape or incest to abort the foetus up to 18 weeks. 'It is heartening to see another Government recognising and acting to protect the many women who might otherwise resort to unsafe abortion and suffer the well documented consequences,” said Helen Axby, deputy CEO of MSI. “We welcome this move to protect the women of Nepal and their families and commend His Majesty's Government of Nepal for their determined efforts to make abortion legal. We look forward to seeing the inevitable improvement in maternal and child health which will result from this historic decision.” MSI has been working in Nepal under the name Sunalulo Parivar Nepal (SPN) since 1994, providing family planning and general reproductive health support through its clinics. Kamala Thapa, director of SPN is delighted with the news. “This is great news for the Nepalese women who have been undergoing unsafe, expensive abortions. This should definitely enable women to have access to more of their reproductive rights and ultimately result in the reduction of maternal mortality rate, which is the highest in the South Asian region, though there is much more that has still to be done. I am very pleased to know the Bill will soon come into effect.” MSI works in over 35 countries providing reproductive health services to more than two million women and their families.