Finally, six months after parliament passed it, and a full four years after it was first mooted, the so-called "women's bill" is law. Last Thursday King Gyanendra gave his consent to the new law legalising abortion in specific instances, criminalising paedophilia and giving women property rights. Women's rights and reproductive health activists are hoping the new law will help reduce the maternal mortality rate in Nepal, which is one of the highest in Asia. According to WHO estimates, maternal mortality here is 1,500 per 100,000 live births.
Under the new law, women will be allowed to have abortions up to 12 weeks into their pregnancy, and up to 18 weeks in cases of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.

If the pregnancy poses a danger to the physical or mental health of the mother, or if the foetus is abnormal, the new law permits a woman to have an abortion at any time. Under the previous law, all abortions were prohibited and violations were punishable by three years up to life imprisonment. It is estimated that nearly 20 percent of the women in prison have been convicted of having an illegal abortion. Abortions performed beyond the time limits in the new law are still punishable by one to five years in prison.

The legislation also makes paedophilia a crime punishable by up to 16 years in prison, says women's rights advocate Sapana Malla Pradhan. Until now there was no law against sexual abuse of children in Nepal. The new law also gives women the right to inherit their parents' property.