Overview

Hungary’s laws recognize freedom of research and health care treatment to a high degree. Notwithstanding Hungary’s political transition in 1989 from a former communist country to a liberal democracy, the socialist Criminal Code (Act No. 4 of 1978) is still in force. The secular traits of the Hungarian society have contributed to the legal environment. Vicsek and Gergely note that “the Hungarian Catholic Church has not been actively campaigning against stem cell research, and many Hungarians who belong to the Catholic Church are not devout.” With regard to research with embryos, the 1997 Act on Public Health is interpreted to mean that it is forbidden to create embryonic stem cells, but with the appropriate authorizations it is permitted to import stem cell lines created in other countries and conduct experiments on them. Restrictions are few but nonetheless prominent. In the area of assisted reproduction, treatment is not available to single women and same-sex couples. A stable relationship among individuals of the different sex is required. Hungarian law does not permit same-sex couples to adopt children. Only commercial surrogacy is prohibited. Emergency contraception is available only with a prescription. Overall, the UN reports that 81 women out of 100 use contraception, 71 of which use modern contraception. Anecdotal evidence reveals that there is a black market for emergency contraception, especially close to the border of neighboring countries. In the area of euthanasia, while criminal law and the administrative health law forbid active euthanasia, advance directives are enforceable and physicians must respect the patient’s refusal of life-sustaining treatment. Since 1997, a dying patient may refuse medical treatment if the illness is incurable and likely to lead to death in a short time. The law mandates a special procedure to ensure that the patient expresses her will voluntarily, i.e. consciously and unimpeded. If this procedure is followed, passive euthanasia is excused under the law. However, a patient is not allowed to refuse medical treatment, if she is pregnant and foreseeably capable to give birth to her child. Current euthanasia laws are partly to be attributed to weak public support for euthanasia. Surveys show that support passive euthanasia dropped in ten years to 55 percent from 62 percent and for active euthanasia from 40 to 30 percent while rejection of the passive form went up from 34 to 38 percent.
Aabortion

Abortion

87 pts out of 100 / 100,00% complete

87 pts

Abortion and contraception allow women to express their freedom of reproduction by exercising their right of self-determination over their bodies.


Measurement questions

Is abortion lawful to protect woman's life?

Yes

Is abortion lawful to protect woman's physical health?

Yes

Is abortion lawful to protect woman's mental health?

Yes

Is abortion lawful in the event the woman was raped?

Yes

Is abortion lawful in the event of fetal defects?

Yes

Does the law mandate that an abortion is performed at the mere request of a pregnant woman?

Yes

Is RU-486 (Mifepristone) approved or registered for use?

Yes and it is available with prescription

Are emergency contraception drugs lawfully available?

Yes, with prescription

Are family planning services provided through government-run programs and facilities?

Yes, indirectly

Is spousal notification/permission required?

No

Assisted reproduction

Assisted Reproduction

69 pts out of 100 / 100,00% complete

69 pts

Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are the methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. Access to assisted reproduction concerns our ability to expand our right to health by offering us access to treatment to overcome infertility.


Measurement questions

Is preimplantation genetic diagnosis permissible?

Yes with no restrictions

Is oocyte cryopreservation permissible?

Not prohibited but used

Is embryo cryopreservation permissible for reproductive purposes?

Yes

Is sperm donation permissible?

Yes

Is oocyte donation permissible?

Yes

Are IVF surrogacy agreements enforceable?

Yes, commercial and not

Marital status requirements?

Stable relationship at minimum

Do same-sex couples have access to ART?

No

Do single women have access to ART?

No

Are there any limits on the number of pre-embryos that can be transferred?

Yes

End Off Life

End of life

40 pts out of 100 / 100,00% complete

40 pts

End of life decisions concern our ability to make choices concerning the end of our lives and take of the form of refusal of life sustaining treatment, being help in committing suicide, choosing euthanasia, and make choices that must be upheld even when the person becomes unconscious. As Young (2010) noted, "People have an interest in making important decisions about their lives in accordance with their own conception of how they want their lives to go."


Measurement questions

Is passive euthanasia lawful?

Legally prohibited

Is active euthanasia lawful?

Legally prohibited

Is physician-assisted suicide lawful?

Legally prohibited

Are advance directives (AD) enforceable?

Yes

Is a physician required to respect a patient's refusal of life-sustaining treatment?

Yes

Research With Embryo

Research with embryos

0 pts out of 100 / 0,00% complete

0 pts

Research with embryos and pre-embryos as well as therapeutic cloning concerns scientists’ freedom to investigate human biology as well as patients’ freedom to access regenerative medicine treatments that may be developed as a result of research with human embryonic stem cells. Since the early 2000s, research with embryos has been at the center of an often-polarized debate about the nature and scope of scientific freedom.


Measurement questions

Is basic research using germline modification in human embryos/gametes permitted?

Is pre-clinical research using germline modification technologies in animals permitted?

Is clinical research using germline modification technologies in humans permitted?

Are clinical applications of research using germline modification technologies (i.e., to initiate a pregnancy with edited embryos or with edited gametes) permitted?

GM Crops

GM Crops

0 pts out of 100 / complete

0 pts

GM crops have contributed significantly to modern agriculture. Plant breeding using genetic modification techniques has led to improving crops in more targeted ways than classical breeding techniques. GM crops acquire desirable characteristics, including pest and herbicide resistance, enhanced robustness against diseases, drought or water tolerance, and healthier profiles that can enhance nutrition.


Measurement questions

Is research on GMOs permitted in the laboratories?

Is notification to start research on GMOs in laboratories required?

Is research on GMOs frequent?

Are GM crop field trials (the limited release into the environment for research purposes) permitted?

Is authorization to start a GM crop field trial required?

Are GM crop field trials frequent?

Is cultivation of GM crops (for commercial purposes) in open field permitted?

Is authorization to start open field cultivation of GM crops required?

Is open field cultivation of GM crops frequent?

Can GM crop commodities harvested in other countries be imported?

Is authorization to import GM crop commodities required?

Is the import of GM crop commoties frequent?

Right To Science Indicators

Right To Science Indicators


Measurement questions

- Access to benefits

What is the total general government expenditure on education?

What is the expenditure on tertiary as % of government expenditure on education?

16.45

What is the the percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed a doctoral degree or equivalent?

0.75

What is the percentage of population that uses the Internet?

79.26

What is the quality of math and science education on a scale from 1 to 7 being "excellent"?

3.9

To what extent is the Internet used in schools for learning purposes?

3.6

What is the scientific literacy of 15-year-old students as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)(mean score)?

477

- Opportunities to participate

Does the law mandate nondiscrimination based on gender in hiring?

Yes

What is the percentage of females employed with advanced degrees out of total employed?

44.7

- Enabling environment

How many scientific and technical journal articles are published each year in physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, clinical medicine, biomedical research, engineering and technology, and earth and space sciences?

6207.6

What is the percentage of GDP allocated to Research and Development?

1.38

How may published articles have received at least H citations in the period 1996–2014?

28

What is the quality of scientific research institutions?

4.7

To what extent do business and universities collaborate on research and development (R&D)?

3.4

What is the average university ranking score of countries based on their top 3 universities?

20.8

To what extent are scientists and engineers available?

3.6

How many professionals are employed as researchers?

5.8

How many professionals are employed by government as researchers?

19.2

- International cooperation

To what extent are talented people attracted from abroad?

2.5

Recent News about Hungary

Answer to open letter of the Luca Coscioni Association

Dear Colleagues, If we ask someone what comes into mind about Hungary, the answer is mostly two things. The first is Puskás, the legendary Hungarian football player of the Real Madrid. We do not want to include his success into the new Constitution, not like the other thing that always comes into mind about Hungary:

HCLU on Hungarian Constitution

Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) is a human rights watch-dog NGO established in 1994. The HCLU received an invitation to take part in the work of the ad-hoc Parliamentarian Committee on Constitution Drafting. HCLU declined the invitation. The reasons why HCLU made this decision reflects our opinion on the draft of the new Constitution. In

Nonviolent Radical Party says no to Italian model in Hungary

To the Members of the Hungarian Parliament Dear Colleagues, We are informed that according to a document published by your Ad hoc Parliamentary Constitution Drafting Committee, Hungary’s drafted Constitution should include the protection of life understood as starting from the conception. Moreover the proposal provides special protection to the institution of marriage, understood as the