Hungary's government tightens rules regulating abortion
Hungary’s right-wing government has issued a decree which will require doctors to present women requesting an abortion with fetal vital signs, an obligation that tightens the country’s relatively liberal abortion rules
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary's right-wing government has issued a decree which will require doctors to present women requesting an abortion with fetal vital signs, an obligation that tightens the country's relatively liberal abortion rules.
The decree issued on Monday states that health care providers must provide pregnant women with “a clearly identifiable indication of fetal vital signs” before proceeding with any abortion procedure. The regulation enters into force on Sept. 15.
In a statement on Monday, the Interior Ministry said that “nearly two-thirds of Hungarians associate the beginning of a child’s life with the first heartbeat,” and that modern equipment can detect heartbeats early in pregnancy which can provide “more comprehensive information for pregnant women.”
Abortion laws in Hungary are relatively liberal and have remained largely unchanged since the procedure was legalized during the country's socialist period in 1953.
