Hungary’s President Calls For ‘Union Of Man And Woman’ As She Defends Constitution

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News reporting from Budapest, Hungary

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s recently elected President Katalin Novák has vowed to protect an amendment of the constitution that defines the family “as the union of a man and woman” with children.

The 44-year-old married mother of three said she considers “the constitutional declaration that the mother is a woman and the father a man to be evident.”

Novák, who assumed office last month after serving as family affairs minister, spoke in an interview with liberal-leaning news site Telex over the weekend.

The European Union has criticized Hungary’s perceived anti-LHBTQ policies as the new constitution defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Additionally, Hungary’s conservative nationalist government introduced a law that bans the dissemination of content in schools deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change.

The so-called “child protection” legislation prohibits sharing content on homosexuality or sex reassignment to people under 18 in school sex education programs, films, or advertisements.

Yet Novák explained she wants “as many Hungarians as possible to feel that I’m their president too. That, of course, also includes homosexual Hungarians.”

PRO-LIFE CHRISTIAN

President Novák, a self-declared pro-life Christian, said she embraces the criticized constitution as it seeks to protect traditional families and life from conception.

Yet Novák doesn’t want to tighten Hungary’s current abortion law further, though she believes “that life should be protected.” Novák pledged “to help as many people as possible keep their conceived babies. “

The president also keeps a close eye on the ongoing Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, saying it was “unacceptable” to attack a sovereign state.

Her remarks appeared more forceful than Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who faced questions over his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Unlike Orbán, she has not yet been invited to Moscow and doesn’t know if she wants to visit. “This is a theoretical question I don’t think is relevant now.”

Novák added that she believes most Hungarians share her view but added, “They want peace and not to get drawn into the war,” a reference to sanctions.

“We stand by the victims. And this isn’t just lip service but demonstrated by our actions as well,” the president said, referring to humanitarian aid and refugees receiving shelter in Hungary. Some 800,000 Ukrainian refugees arrived in Hungary, a nation of nearly 10 million, since the outbreak of the war almost four months ago.

Katalin Novák shared her concerns with reporters as the first female and youngest president in Hungary’s history. Under Hungary’s constitution, she “embodies the unity of the nation, monitors the democratic operation of the state, and serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Hungary.” The president was elected by parliament for five years and can serve a maximum of two terms.

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