Factors affecting abortion decisions amongst young couples in Nepal

Mahesh Puri, Center for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities (CREHPA)
Roger Ingham, University of Southampton
Zoe Matthews, University of Southampton

This paper explores decision making processes regarding abortion amongst young couples in Nepal. The data comprised 30 case histories, together with results from a sample survey of 1496 young married couples. The results show that unintended pregnancies are quite common amongst young married couples in Nepal. One in two young women reported ever having experienced an unintended pregnancy. A considerable proportion of couples thought about abortion but the majority of them did not take any action. Some of them had attempted abortion but only few of them had succeeded. Multiple factors affect the decision making phase, making the process dynamic and situation specific. Husbands and health service providers play a major role in decision making. The study highlights the need to scale up family planning services to young couples and, emphasises the importance of involving men and service providers in public education and advocacy campaigns against unsafe abortion.