According to data from the Health Service Division of the Health and Population Ministry, 95,000 abortions were carried out in the year 2010/11 (2067 BS). “And more than 25 percent among them were for teens,” said Ambika Prasad Neupane, Health Management Information Support (HMIS) officer at the Ministry. [break]
The data provided by the Ministry also shows that abortion cases are on the whole on the rise. In 2009/10, the number of abortions performed stood at 88,938, while the figure for the preceding year was 83,978 and that for 2007/8 only 51,410.
“Women seeking abortion have a right to privacy and they are not asked whether they are married or not. But their ages are noted down and these show that above 25 percent of the cases involve girls below 18 years,” Neupane explained.
Another interesting fact about abortions, according to him, is that more than 50 percent of abortions are carried out in the capital, where early marriage is not the usual practice. That means Kathmandu Valley girls are way ahead in terms of early pregnancy and abortions.
According to Neupane, the data is based on an integrated information system under which every district reports to the ministry on a monthly basis about abortions carried out in their areas. “These include abortions performed in government, non-government and private service centers,” he said. “However, cases handled by the private sector are under-registered,” he admits.
The obvious question now is, why are teens increasingly getting into trouble with unwanted pregnancies despite the widespread availability of various contraceptive methods?
The teens in question as well as their counselors and doctors told us that the problem is girls and boys often have accidental relationships rather than planned ones.
One such teen told Republica that she did not think she would get pregnant ´just in a few number of times´. While waiting for her turn to meet the counselor at the Family Planning Association Nepal (FPAN), the visibly upset 16-year-old said, “See how easy it is to conceive and equally tough the days ahead.”
Dr Nutan Sharma, obstetrician and gynecologist at Alka, B&B and Kantipur Hospitals, states that teenage and early teen pregnancies are rapidly increasing in the capital. This year alone, she came across two girls as young as 13 who were seeking abortion.
“That was indeed alarming and shocking,” said Dr. Sharma. In her six- year-old medical career she had never dealt with cases of girls so young. According to her, the younger girls came to her with their parents, unlike the older ones who are often accompanied by their boyfriends.
“Schoolgirls of classes 7 to 12 seek abortion and some even go for multiple abortions. The older girls often come to the clinic with boyfriends of almost the same age, and who, interestingly, act mature as if they were the real guardians,” she said.
Similarly, counselor at FPAN for the last 12 years, Ashwani Rana, also thinks that teenage pregnancies in the capital are simply growing. “Yes, the number of young girls seeking abortion are on a constant rise; greater freedom and changed lifestyle are contributing to this trend,” she noted.
Both Sharma and Rana are of the opinion that the younger generation is rather casual about the idea of early pregnancy and abortion. However, the girls invariably have a vital concern -- “Can I get pregnant in future if I go for abortion in the first pregnancy?”
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