Draft bill to amend the National Penal Code
Summary
The Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has drafted a bill proposing amendments to Nepal's National Penal Code, including changes on child marriage, recognition of same-sex marriage, and decriminalization of abortion.
Key Points
- The draft bill proposes to keep the marriage age at 20 but allows exceptions for consensual marriage between individuals aged 18–20 with conditions.
- Child marriage under 18 remains punishable with imprisonment and fines, and such marriages are automatically voided.
- The bill recognizes same-sex marriage by replacing gender-specific language and prohibits bigamy regardless of gender.
- It proposes decriminalization of abortion under several conditions, including risk to the mother's life, pregnancies from rape or incest, and HIV infections, with the woman's consent.
- Full implementation of abortion decriminalization will require amendments to the Right to Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Rights Act, 2018.
