New ‘Heartbeat Law’ Passes with Help of HLI Hungary!

The new law will save an estimated 5,000 children from abortion every year.

In a clinic in Hungary, a mother asks for an abortion.

She just found out that she’s pregnant. She’s frightened. She doesn’t see herself as a mother.

As a part of the preparation process for the abortion, the doctor performs an ultrasound. He shows it to the mother and lets her listen to her child’s heartbeat.

That tiny sound changes everything.

In it, the mother recognizes her son. His humanity is unmistakable.

She tells the doctor she changed her mind. She’s keeping her baby.

Heartbeat Laws Save Lives

Thanks to our donors, this scene will play over and over again in Hungary starting in 2021.

HLI missionaries have been pushing for a heartbeat law in Hungary for years. Now it is finally a reality!

You helped organize the conference
that inspired many Hungarian leaders
to support the heartbeat bill. Dr. Imre
Téglásy of HLI Hungary (top right) stands
with Senator Amy Sinclair and two guests.

According to the new law, a doctor must let every mother hear her child’s heartbeat before moving forward with an abortion. After listening to that hopeful thump-thump, it’s hard to deny that a pre-born child is a living human being. This clarity prompts many mothers to choose life.

After a similar law passed in North Macedonia, the abortion rate dropped by 20%. If the same holds true for Hungary, this law will save 5,000 pre-born lives every year. And 10,000 parents will escape the spiritual and mental harm caused by the crime of abortion.

Our Donors Made This Change Possible!

Dr. Imre Téglásy of HLI Hungary serves as bioethics advisor to a Hungarian political party. He asked the Catholic caucus if they would support a heartbeat law, and they said yes!

In 2018 Dr. Téglásy drafted a bill and sent it to a committee. That’s when the trouble started.

An OBGYN testified that listening to the heartbeat could cause “mental trauma” to mothers who choose abortion. Therefore, the heartbeat bill was wrong because it reveals the humanity of the child.

Your missionaries brought U.S.
Senator Amy Sinclair to Hungary
to promote the heartbeat bill.
Thanks for making this possible!

This warped logic was enough to stall the bill.

But that’s not the end of the story. Because of our donors’ unfailing support, our missionaries can be persistent. Over the next few years Dr. Téglásy kept bringing more lawmakers around.

He even brought U.S. Senator Amy Sinclair to Hungary to talk about the impact of a similar bill in her state. Senator Sinclair’s testimony changed many hearts.

Last year, they were ready to try again with a new strategy.

Instead of pushing a new bill through committee, they amended an old one. A law for the protection of unborn children was expanded to include the heartbeat requirement.

Thanks to all our donors for protecting pre-born life in Hungary! We could not have accomplished this without you.