A new decree by Hungary’s right-wing government forcing women seeking an abortion to first listen to the foetal heartbeat before undergoing the procedure has been criticised by doctors and some opposition members, with the Hungarian Medical Chamber saying said the changes in procedure violate its ethical code founded on the protection of life.
Under the order, which came into effect last week, healthcare providers now have to provide pregnant women requesting an abortion with “a clearly identifiable indication of foetal vital signs” – the sign of a foetus’ vital functions is often associated with a heartbeat.
Doctors and critics fear the new obligation put forward by nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will tighten the country’s relatively liberal abortion rules. The procedure was legalised during the country’s socialist era in 1953, reports The Independent.
“Nearly two-thirds of Hungarians associate the beginning of a child’s life with the first heartbeat,” Hungary’s Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Since coming to power in 2010, the country’s nationalist government has pushed “traditional family values” and offered tax breaks and subsidies for families with multiple children to boost the country’s dwindling birth rate.
In 2011, the government enshrined in the Constitution that “the life of a foetus will be protected from conception”, without actively tightening abortion laws. In 2019, the Prime Minister announced that women with four children would be exempt from paying income tax for life.
The existing abortion law allows women to terminate pregnancies in the first 12 weeks on medical or social grounds. But exceptions allow the termination to be carried out up to 24 weeks.
The opposition Jobbik party has welcomed the “pro-life” change while criticising the government for the abrupt decree without consultation.
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