We overlooked an amazing story three years ago — a study of abortion rates in Nepal. Lately Nepal has been in the news as a hotspot for surrgacy. But it is also a natural experiment in sex-selection.

Abortion was legalised in Nepal in 2002. Almost immediately the sex-ratio in the country began to change. Around 2002 the ratio of girls born to boys born was 942 to 1000 for second-born children. By this ratio had fallen to 742. Amongst the richest urban women, just 325 girls were born for every 1000 boys.

In other words, the legalisation of abortion has been a death warrant for Nepalese girls. Abortion provider Marie Stopes International calls Nepal a “unusual success story” because fertilty there has fallen from 4.1 to 2.6 in just 10 years, one of the most dramatic declines in history. But this was achieved by allowing gendercide to flourish. 

PS — apologies to our readers. We mixed up mailing lists last week and some of you may have received a daily newsletter meant for subscribers to MercatorNet. We have fixed the issue and I hope that it will not happen again. 

Michael Cook
Nepal has an appalling record
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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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