Arun Gyawali

Bhairahawa, February 20:

Two children were enough for Butwal-native Rupa Thapa (name changed), but family pressure to have a son forced her to get in the family way again and visit Gorakhpur for a foetus scan. because it was a daughter, she decided to abort it. Rupa had to repeat the process several times. The result is showing. She is unhealthy.

Rupa is not alone in aborting pregnancy after sex determination of the foetus. There are umpteen women like her, and their number is rising. Social workers are worried at the increasing trend of female foeticide.

An ultrasound machine is used to know about the internal organs and the health of the unborn child. But this technology is misused to determine the sex of the embryo. Private clinics are accused of carrying out the sex determination for profit.

In Nepal, abortion is legal but abortion after sex determination is not. But, most women opt for it after determining the sex of the foetus.

The women going to Gorakhpur for abortions said their doctors told had them the abortion technology in Nepal was not good enough.

The Lumbini Zonal Hospital (LZH) conducts safe and legal abortion at reasonable cost but lack of trust and shame at multiple abortions leads women to India.

Dr Ram Prasad Basyal of the LZH said the misuse of ultrasound machine had become a challenge to legal and medical sectors.

Maya Bhandari, a social worker and president of Didibahini Samaj (Sisters’ Society) said the women’s right to give birth was being suppressed under immense pressure from in-laws and husbands. Most of the women going for abortion are from educated and well-to-do families with one or two daughters and who decide to terminate the pregnancy if the unborn child is also a female.

The LZH charges Rs 900 but these women prefer to pay Rs 10,000 to 12,000 for the same in India.