Hungary’s conservative right approves ‘fetal heartbeat’ statute further complicating abortion access

German broadcaster DW reports on the new statute in Hungary that will force women seeking legal abortions to listen to the fetal “heartbeat” before following through with the procedure. Abortions are legally accessible to women in Hungary up until 12 weeks of pregnancy with few exceptions. Women are also required to complete a counseling session first. DW draws on ISD findings from December over Hungary’s role in a ‘global network’ against sexual and reproductive rights. In December, we pointed to the worrying direction the country was moving in under the leadership of the right-wing conservative Fidesz party and now-President Katalin Novak. Our research evidenced the ongoing connections between high-level Hungarian government figures, and well-known anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion organisations.

The fetal ‘heartbeat’ amendment will go into effect this Thursday.

An overview of the network can also be found here.