Hungary’s Parliament passed new measures on Tuesday affirming the natural definition of the family, effectively banning same-sex couples from adopting children.
MPs also approved a change to the constitution, with the inclusion of the definition that “the mother is a woman, the father is a man.”
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government explained the change saying, “new ideological processes in the West” made it necessary to “protect children against possible ideological or biological interference.”
The amendments also define a child’s sex as that assigned at birth and “ensures the upbringing of children according to… Christian culture.”
Katalin Novák, Hungary’s Minister of State for Family Affairs, has said Christianity is part of the nation’s identity that must be preserved.
“If we give up on our Christianity, then we will lose our own identity, as Hungarians, as Europeans,” she said.
According to Novák, a 2019 poll revealed that almost 80% of Hungarians believe that the nation should preserve its Christian heritage through policies rooted in Christian culture.
In recent years, Hungary has witnessed abortion numbers plunge by more than a third of what they were, from 40,449 in 2010 to 28,500. Divorce in Hungary has also seen a marked decline, while the marriage rate had surged by 42%.
The fertility rate has increased by more than 20% since 2011, which according to Novàk, “clearly shows that Hungarian women feel increasingly confident about having children.”
In an effort to fight the decline in its own demographic, the Orbán-government increased support for Hungarian families, encouraging citisens to have large and stable households.
“Hungarian fertility rates have been below replacement for decades,” Population Research Institute President Steven Mosher said.
“And its population has been shrinking since the 1980s. The Orban government hopes to turn this around, and quickly, by rewarding those who are generous in having children. After all, such couples are providing for Hungary’s future in the most fundamental way: by providing the next generation of Hungarians,” Mosher added.
The family-friendly policies encourage young Hungarians to marry and have multiple children, rather than turning to mass-migration for population growth, which poses a threat to Hungarian culture.
The Hungarian government’s nationalist approach put the nation offside with the European Union, with the EU voting to strip Hungary of its voting rights.
The decision came in response to Hungary’s strict immigration policies. Hungarian Foreign Minister, Peter Szijjarto told CBN News, “Basically it’s revenge. The European Parliament has a majority of MEPs who are pro-migration, absolutely pro-migration.”
Szijjarto went on to warn that if Europe can’t find a way back to their Christian roots and heritage, Europe will never be strong again. For this reason, Hungary has resolved to preserve their Christian faith, heritage, and family values.
“We have been a Christian country for a millennium,” Szijjarto said. “Why should we give it up?”