The Hungarian government announced on Thursday that it will relax abortion regulations and move to ratify an international treaty focused on combating violence against women. These policy shifts under Prime Minister Peter Magyar mark a departure from the conservative approach maintained by his predecessor, Viktor Orban.
Reforming abortion and contraceptive access
A primary change involves the removal of the so-called “heartbeat regulation” introduced in 2022. Previously, Hungarian law required women seeking an abortion to listen to the fetal heartbeat or view evidence of fetal life before proceeding with the medical procedure. This mandate had faced significant backlash from medical professionals and advocacy groups, who labeled the requirement as cruel and degrading.
According to Prime Minister Magyar, the policy failed to reduce the number of abortions and introduced significant bioethical concerns. Under current Hungarian law, abortions are permitted up to 12 weeks of pregnancy, or up to 24 weeks in instances involving severe developmental abnormalities. In addition to scrapping the heartbeat requirement, the government plans to make emergency contraceptive pills available without a prescription.
Strengthening protections against violence
The government also intends to ratify the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty designed to prevent domestic violence and protect women. While most European Union member states have already adopted the treaty, Hungary had previously resisted it under the Orban administration, which claimed the agreement promoted “gender ideology.”
The convention, established by the Council of Europe in 2014, mandates that rape be criminalized based on the lack of freely given consent. “We are making it clear that sexual acts can only take place with the voluntary consent of the other party,” Magyar stated. In a video posted to Facebook, he added, “We are making a clear and accountable commitment to putting an end to the era of inaction.”
Beyond the treaty, the government plans to update the criminal code to enhance protections for women. Proposed measures include criminalizing the non-consensual sharing of intimate images and improving the treatment of domestic violence victims throughout the criminal justice process.
With this move, Hungary joins the majority of EU nations in supporting the Istanbul Convention, leaving only Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Slovakia as the remaining EU members that have yet to ratify the agreement.
