Safe abortion practice and knowledge on abortion legalization among Nepalese undergraduate female students

Background: Unsafe abortion remains one of the major public health problems, especially in developing countries. The objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge on the legalization of abortion and the practice of abortion among Nepalese undergraduate female students. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among the 490 female students of Pokhara Valley, Nepal. Study populations from the 10 colleges were selected through purposive and systematic random sampling. The semi-structured questionnaire was used as a data collection technique. Results: Only 34% of students have a good knowledge of abortion legalization, compared to 42% who have poor knowledge. While two-thirds of the participants (66.6%) were aware that abortion is legal in Nepal, only a few were aware of the conditions for legalized safe abortion. During sexual intercourse, almost half of the participants (51.3%) did not use any form of contraception. Unintended conception was the primary cause of abortion (53.3%). Conclusion: The level of knowledge about the abortion law, safe abortion practice, and utilization of abortion services were found to be poor. Age of the participant, autonomy level for decision making, religion, and study background were the associated factors with the level of knowledge and practice of abortion. Community-based health promotion and awareness programs focusing on the youth population should be conducted.

Between the Urgent and the Emerging: Representations on Sex Education in the Debate for Abortion Legalization in Argentina

The aim of this article is to analyse, within the framework of discourse analysis, the social representations that circulated about the sex education in the parliamentary debate on the bill for the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy that took place in the Chamber of Deputies, on June 13, 2018, in Argentina. To do this, we review the functions attributed to sex education by both legislators who voted in favor of the bill and those who voted against. In turn, we analyze the topics that were related to this issue, as well as the social actors involved and those who were legitimized to address the problem. We aim to establish if the feminist discourse that was constituted and consolidated in Argentina from the Ni Una Menos march, in 2015, managed to impose its agenda on the political sphere. Specifically, we are interested in investigating whether the representations that were put into circulation about sex education were retaken in the parliamentary debate on the voluntary termination of pregnancy bill, a space in which sex education constituted a preponderant topic.

Coletivos quebrando o silêncio: mulheres feministas e evangélicas na luta contra a violência de gênero e em favor à legalização do aborto

Nosso objetivo neste artigo, a partir de entrevistas e netnografia, é mostrar-lhes que a partir do âmbito religioso emergem coletivos cujas as vozes dissonantes não compactuam com a subjugação feminina implementada pela religião e denunciam em ambientes virtuais a violência praticada contra a mulher em ambientes domésticos ou eclesiais. Além de trabalharem voluntariamente instruindo e acolhendo vítimas de violência, é importante destacar que as Feministas Evangélicas, por nós pesquisadas, lutam em favor da legalização do aborto, pois entendem que esta é uma questão de saúde pública. Porém, mesmo lutando em favor dos direitos femininos, elas são ameaçadas por indivíduos que possuem ethos familista e visão conservadora de mundo, pois estes entendem que elas querem destruir a família. Palavras-chave: Feminismo; religião; violência de gênero; política. Abstract This article aims to present, through interviews and netnography, collectives that emerge from the religious sphere, where dissonant voices do not agree with the female subjugation implemented by religion who denounces in virtual environments the violence against women in environments domestic or ecclesial. Besides volunteer work, instructing, and supporting victims of violence, the Evangelical Feminists group fight for abortion legalization, as they understand it as a public health issue. However, even when fighting for women's rights, they are threatened by individuals who have a familist ethos and a conservative worldview because they understand that they want to destroy the family. Keywords: Feminism; religion; gender violence; policy. Resumen Nuestro objetivo en este artículo, a partir de entrevistas y netnografía, es mostrar que desde el ámbito religioso surgen colectivos cuyas voces disonantes no concuerdan con la subyugación femenina implementada por la religión y denuncian en entornos virtuales la violencia practicada contra las mujeres en los ambientes doméstico y/o eclesial. Además de trabajar voluntariamente en la instrucción y acogida de víctimas de violencia, es importante destacar que las Feministas Evangélicas que hemos investigado luchan por la legalización del aborto, pues entienden que este es un tema de salud pública. Sin embargo, incluso cuando luchan por los derechos de las mujeres, son amenazadas por individuos que tienen un espíritu familista y una cosmovisión conservadora porque entienden que quieren destruir a la familia. Palabras clave: Feminismo; religión; violencia de género; política.