fIn the future, women who want to have an abortion in Hungary will have to listen to the heartbeat of the embryo in their womb. This emerges from an ordinance by Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, which was published in the Hungarian Official Gazette on Tuesday night. According to this, when a woman requests an abortion, she must produce a specialist medical certificate stating that “the factors that indicate the existence of the vital functions of the embryo have been brought to her attention in a clear manner”.
According to media reports, the legal formulation, which also sounds cumbersome in Hungarian, means that women must listen to the heartbeat of their embryos before having an abortion. The regulation comes into effect on Thursday.
In Hungary, there is a time limit for abortions. Women can refer to a personal crisis situation up to the twelfth week. Similar to Germany, there is also an obligation to provide advice. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has been in power since 2010, likes to present himself as a champion of Christian values and the ideal of the traditional family.
At the same time, the right-wing populist is aware that an almost comprehensive ban on abortion – as in Poland, which is governed by right-wing nationalism – would be extremely unpopular in his country. However, according to women’s rights organizations, the most recent tightening increases the pressure on women, who are already in an extremely difficult situation due to an unwanted pregnancy.
The idea of making listening to the embryonic heartbeat a condition for an abortion goes back to the far-right Mi Hazank (Our Home) party. The group entered parliament for the first time after the election last April. Although belonging to the opposition, it repeatedly receives encouragement and support in the media close to the government.
