Nepal records increasing frequency of aborting female foetuses

Aug 14, 2007, 6:03 GMT

Kathmandu - There is a growing trend among Nepalese couples to abort pregnancies if the foetus is female, news reports said Tuesday.

The daily Kantipur newspaper reported that hundreds of pregnancies were aborted after establishing the foetuses were female through ultra-sound tests.

It said many of the couples opting for such abortions were people who previously had daughters and preferred a male child the second time.

'If the sex of the child is determined to be a female through ultrasound, then the pregnancies are aborted,' the newspaper quoted Dr Pushpa Mani Kharalas saying. 'About 100 such abortions are carried out in Kathmandu Valley alone.'

There are no official figures on the number of abortion carried out on the basis of sex of the foetus. But doctors say the number is 'alarming.'

Although abortion is legal in Nepal up to 12th week of pregnancy and as late as 18 weeks in cases of rape or incest, the practice is illegal if based on gender.

Dr Kharal said private clinics and hospitals were charging anywhere between 3,000 to 10,000 rupees (about 47 to 156 US dollars) to abort pregnancies without recording the terms of the pregnancies.

The Nepalese government legalized abortion in September 2002. Until then abortion was considered a criminal act under law and was illegal even in cases of rape or incest.

In many Nepalese families, there is a strong preference for a male child as they are considered important for carrying on their family lineage.