Kathmandu — Ahead of the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21, political parties have been urged to prioritize sexual and reproductive health rights in their election manifestos. The Women, Law and Development Forum (FWLD), in collaboration with the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR), has submitted advocacy letters to major political parties calling for clear and concrete commitments on reproductive health services.

Representatives of FWLD and CRR visited the central offices of major political parties, including the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepali, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Janata Samajwadi Party, and Rastriya Swatantra Party, and formally handed over the advocacy letters to senior party leadership. The letters emphasize the need to ensure the sexual and reproductive health rights of women, adolescents, and all citizens in practice, in line with constitutional provisions.

The advocacy letters detail key issues that should be incorporated into the election manifestos. Highlighting gaps in the existing legal framework on sexual and reproductive health, the organizations have specifically called for timely revision and reform of laws related to abortion. Such reforms, they argue, would help ensure women’s access to safe and legal abortion services.

Similarly, the letters stress the importance of adopting policies that guarantee comprehensive reproductive health services, including family planning and safe abortion services, making them accessible, affordable, and of high quality. Political parties have been urged to ensure that these services are not limited to urban centers but are expanded to rural and remote areas as well.

Special attention has also been drawn to the situation of adolescents. The advocacy letters underline the need to effectively implement comprehensive sexuality education to safeguard adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health rights. Political parties are encouraged to commit to expanding such education at both school and community levels.

In addition, the organizations have urged parties to prioritize maternal health and childbirth services, ensuring that safe motherhood services are accessible, affordable, and of good quality down to the local level. Expanding these services, the letters note, would contribute significantly to reducing maternal mortality and improving women’s long-term health outcomes.

FWLD and CRR have expressed confidence that meaningful progress at both policy and implementation levels will be possible only if political parties clearly incorporate these commitments into their election manifestos. They conclude that ensuring sexual and reproductive health rights is a fundamental pillar of women’s rights, gender equality, and overall social development.