Hungary’s future depends on its children

Five years after the birth of their twins, the author and their partner could answer the question “How many children do you have?” with “Five.” Their attic still holds carefully sorted and washed children’s clothes, tiny shoes and toys. Now they bring those things down for their first grandchild.

That is how family support works, the author writes: people pass on what they themselves received. Children are not dressed from fashion magazines. A parent-and-baby club is active, new mothers’ families receive communal meal support, and the local youth community has more than 200 members. Children see the generosity of their parents and their wider community.

The author argues that governments must build systems guaranteeing young couples the minimum support they need, including intellectual, emotional, financial and material assistance. Once that support existed, the article says, population figures began to improve. In 2011, there were 2.3 live births for every abortion. After a decade of expanded support, the ratio reached 3.73 in 2021. Last year, after the shocks of Covid and war, there were 3.5 live births for every abortion, despite births falling to a low of 72,017.

“

It does not matter whether you are rich or poor, if your heart is big enough.

The piece presents abortion as one of Hungary’s deepest national tragedies and calls for agreement on a shared national principle: “Our greatest common value, our future, is the Hungarian child, who has the right to the fullest life from the moment of conception. Serving this cause is the duty of every Hungarian citizen, while for the state it is its primary obligation.”

It also points to a troubling consequence of the fetal heartbeat regulation. Since its introduction, the number of children born in hospitals and then left there has risen sharply, reaching about 2,000 a year, or the population of a small village. The author says Hegedűs Zsolt bears a major responsibility in the promised consultations, insisting that the issue should not become a political tug-of-war. The article ends with a call to place life before death and children’s heartbeat rights before what it calls the perceived issue of women’s freedom.

“

Our greatest common value, our future, is the Hungarian child, who has the right to the fullest life from the moment of conception. Serving this cause is the duty of every Hungarian citizen, while for the state it is its primary obligation.