Hungarian Women Who Want Abortion Must Listen to Heartbeat First

Moving forward women in the country of Hungary who wish to terminate a pregnancy must listen to the baby’s heartbeat before the procedure.

QUICK FACTS:
  • The new rule came into effect after an announcement by the Minister of the Interior Sandor Pintér, Summit News reported.
  • “The presented medical findings must record that the healthcare provider presented the factor indicating the vital functions of the fetus to the pregnant woman in a clearly identifiable manner,” the minister said.
  • “Nearly two-thirds of Hungarians associate the beginning of a child’s life with the first heartbeat,” Pintér continued in his statement.
THE HISTORY OF ABORTION LAWS IN HUNGARY:
  • In 1992, Hungarian legislation dictated that any person could go through with an abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
  • After 12 weeks, abortions could only be performed under certain circumstances, including if there was a more than 50% likelihood of fetal defects.
  • Medicated abortion with pills has been illegal since 2012.
BACKGROUND:
  • In 2019, Hungary tried to encourage residents to have more children by announcing the government would hand out money to married couples who have three or more babies.
  • Unlike its European neighbors, Hungary does not want to become dependent on immigration to maintain its population levels.
  • “The recent demographic figures speak for themselves; the number of marriages is at a 40-year high, and the fertility rate is at a 20-year high, while the number of divorces hasn’t been as low as last year in the last six decades,” the country’s current president, Katalin Novák, said in 2020.

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