The move by the right-wing government of Viktor Orban indicates a change in the country’s liberal laws on abortion by requiring doctors to show women the vital signs of the embryo or foetus.

Abortions can be carried out in Hungary up to the 12th week of pregnancy on medical or social grounds. They can be undertaken later if there are severe medical situations.

“Almost two thirds of Hungarians associate the beginning of a child’s life with the first heartbeat,” states the decree, which was issued by the interior minister, Sandor Pinter.

When applying for an abortion, a woman will now have to present a medical certificate detailing that “the factors indicating the presence of the embryo’s vital functions have been brought to her attention in a clear manner”.

“It is definitely a worrying step back, a bad sign,” Aron Demeter, spokesman for Amnesty International Hungary, said. “This amendment achieves nothing, but will further traumatise women, put additional pressure on women who are already in a difficult place.”