Atreya Alok, Menezes Ritesh G, Adhikari Sagar
Department of Forensic Medicine, Lumbini Medical College, Nepal.
Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.
Med Sci Law. 2025 Apr;65(2):166-171. doi: 10.1177/00258024241275896. Epub 2024 Aug 18.
This article provides an analysis of the legal rights and protection accorded to fetuses under the Nepali law and the comparative common statues. It also analyses the abortion law in Nepal, which aims to balance the needs of women seeking abortion with limited protections for late-term fetuses. The article considers the case, "Lakshmi Dhikta v. the Government of Nepal," which held that access to abortion was a constitutionally formed right. However, barriers to this right still exist, especially among disadvantaged women. Globally, the debate continues between those who advocate for the rights of the fetus and those who put the autonomy of the women first. While some countries grant the fetus limited legal rights, others grant the fetus personhood rights. It is therefore pertinent to discuss the ethics of prenatal harm, sex-selective abortion, and the possible conflict between maternal and fetal interests. The multifaceted law should regulate maternal health, the interest of the fetus, and discrimination while ensuring feasible and affordable abortion.
本文分析了尼泊尔法律及相关普通法赋予胎儿的合法权利与保护。它还剖析了尼泊尔的堕胎法，该法律旨在平衡寻求堕胎的女性的需求与对晚期胎儿的有限保护。本文考量了“拉克希米·迪克塔诉尼泊尔政府”一案，该案认定堕胎权是宪法赋予的权利。然而，这项权利的障碍依然存在，尤其是在弱势女性群体中。在全球范围内，主张胎儿权利的人和将女性自主权置于首位的人之间的辩论仍在继续。虽然一些国家赋予胎儿有限的合法权利，但其他国家赋予胎儿人格权。因此，讨论产前伤害、性别选择性堕胎的伦理问题以及母婴利益之间可能存在的冲突是很有必要的。多方面的法律应在确保可行且负担得起的堕胎的同时，对孕产妇健康、胎儿利益和歧视进行规范。
