In August 2023, Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok visited Daniel Karsai, a lawyer suffering from ALS. The meeting made such an impression that the president offered to grant a pardon to those seeking assisted dying.
Since the Presidential promise to consider legalising euthanasia in general and offering “merciful death” to Karsai in particular, the discussion on the ethics of assisted dying have been heated. Currently euthanasia is illegal in Hungary and Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s party considers euthanasia to be unconstitutional. Nevertheless, a survey conducted by Index and PegaPoll found that 74% of respondents view active and passive death as ethically equivalent.
Based on a survey from Index and PegaPoll, 91 percent of respondents believe that euthanasia is an ethical solution in cases of serious illness.
Read more: Hungary’s assisted dying laws under presidential consideration – Euractiv