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Hungary Requires Women to Listen to Fetus’ Heartbeat Before Having an Abortion

Hungary requires women to listen to the heartbeat of the fetus before having an abortion

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The Hungarian government has imposed by decree the obligation to listen to the heartbeat of the fetus before having an abortion, a requirement to be met by all pregnant women who choose to take this step.

The measure comes into force next Friday, according to the decree, published on the night of Monday to Tuesday in the Official Gazette and signed by the Minister of the Interior, Sándor Pintér, which determines that before having an abortion, the woman must present a document certifying that she has received information on the vital signs of the fetus.

To this end, doctors must “provide the pregnant woman with an indication of the vital signs of the fetus, in a clearly identifiable form,” reads the decree.

Both independent media, such as the digital newspaper 24.hu, and those close to Viktor Orbán’s government (such as Hirtv.hu), claim that with the expression “vital signs” the government is referring to the heartbeat.

The current law, in force since 1992, determines that between 12 and 24 weeks of gestation, a woman can freely choose abortion, with no other requirements than her own decision.

In exceptional cases, generally for medical reasons, when there are diagnoses of pathology in the fetus incompatible with life or when the mother’s life is in danger, abortion is also possible later in pregnancy.

Until now, the government of Orbán’s conservative Fidesz party, which holds an overwhelming majority in Parliament, had assured that it had no plans to limit the right to abortion.

However, the country’s president, Katalin Novák, close to Orbán, who took office last May, promised in her election campaign that she would support those who “protect life from gestation.”

In Hungary, a country of 9.7 million inhabitants, 21,907 abortions and 93,000 births were registered in the whole of last year, according to data from the Statistical Office.

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