William Nattrass William Nattrass

Viktor Orban is facing pressure from the right on abortion

(Photo: Getty)

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has become a towering figure in European politics over the past 12 years thanks to his promotion of ‘Christian democracy’ as an alternative to western liberalism, which he claims has lost its way. But a change to abortion laws introduced by the Hungarian government this week may indicate an alarming shift in his methods.

The new regulation, brought in with little warning or debate, requires pregnant women to listen to their foetus’s heartbeat before they can access abortion services. Coming into force on Thursday, it strengthens abortion laws which have remained liberal throughout Orbán’s leadership.

In Hungary, abortions are legal up to the twelfth week of pregnancy, or at any time if the pregnancy is not viable. Women must give a valid reason for the abortion, and have to attend counselling sessions where they are presented with alternatives such as adoption. In this way, the rules have maintained freedom of choice while attempting to also further Orbán’s ‘pro-family’ social agenda.

The ‘foetal heartbeat’ rule is being portrayed, in part, as another attempt to hold back the tide of population decline.

Orban’s aim is to increase his country’s low birth rates, which are predicted to lead to a 12.3 per cent reduction in the Hungarian population by 2050. The ‘foetal heartbeat’ rule is being portrayed, in part, as another attempt to hold back the tide of population decline. It’s being claimed that the rule will result in fewer abortions and more adoptions.

Yet the political impetus for the change came not from Orbán’s Fidesz party, but from Mi Hazánk (Our Homeland), a deeply socially conservative force which entered the Hungarian parliament for the first time after elections in April. Western progressives rail against Orbán but Mi Hazánk makes Orban’s Fidesz appear a model of centrist moderation.

The deputy leader of Mi Hazánk, Dóra Dúró, has been pushing for the new heartbeat rule for years and is in no doubt that it is ethical.

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