Why the Battle Over Hungary’s Child Protection Law Matters for Europe

On November 19, a crucial hearing took place before the European Court of Justice regarding a case that, although currently going unnoticed, will undoubtedly spark significant debate: the European Commission, supported by no fewer than 16 Member States (an unprecedented fact), is suing Hungary over its child protection law. This national legislation recognizes identity based on biological sex and prohibits exposing minors to pornographic content, inappropriate sexuality, homosexuality, gender ideology, and sex changes. 

Just hours after its adoption, Ursula von der Leyen labeled the law a “shame” and immediately announced the launch of an expedited infringement procedure that, a year later (a record timeframe), culminated in a lawsuit against the Hungarian government. Some activists are already describing the case as the “mother of all battles” in the defense of human rights. Hyperbole aside, they are not entirely wrong—though not for the reasons they claim. More than a question of discrimination against sexual minorities, what is truly at stake here is the imposition of an ideology without any mandate, as well as the fight to protect the family, parents’ rights to educate their children, and the innocence of children. This schism of principles is dividing the Union, and its judicial resolution will deepen the fractures between countries and electorates aligned with woke ideology (mainly in Western Europe) and those who reject it (Central and Eastern Europe). Has the European Union (EU) become a “woke-only” club where being conservative is no longer allowed? That is the question. 

The first question that immediately arises is: what on earth is the EU doing meddling in the sexual education of children? Is this a European competence? Not in the slightest. On the contrary, the EU Treaty makes it abundantly clear that education is a prerogative of the Member States, full stop. But, of course, in the name of “European values,” invoked with almost messianic zeal, it has become fashionable to disregard the rules of the game and find spurious excuses to interfere in national matters for purely political reasons. It’s a technocratic version of Cardinal Richelieu’s famous maxim: “If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.” In today’s EU, too many national laws that stray from the Brussels consensus are potentially on its radar, and it hardly matters that this amounts to an unwarranted appropriation of powers without any legitimate mandate. 

What stands out the most is the zeal with which the EU (and let’s not forget, 16 other governments) champions gender ideology and promotes the sexualization of children—because that’s exactly what this is about. There are now too many countries reversing course, too many voices from young people who are “de-transitioning,” and too many horrifying stories being published to ignore the truth: behind expressions like “inclusive sexual education” or “affirmative care” lies a sordid reality of mutilations, chemical castrations, hormone treatments, misogyny, irreversible harm, and suicides. It’s a grotesque medical scandal, largely driven by the greed of clinics and pharmaceutical industries, the cowardice (or corruption) of medical and psychiatric associations, and the violence of “trans” activism, including cases of outright terrorism. And, of course, we cannot ignore the astonishing submission of the elites to the hegemonic queer ideology, which drives them to undermine the very foundation of their societies: the family. 

Let’s not forget that this ideology also constitutes a direct attack on the family. It targets parents, undermining their authority in favor of the state and disregarding their right to educate their children according to their convictions (Article 14, paragraph 3 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU). And it targets children, robbing them of their innocence through premature sexualization and pervasive indoctrination that borders on pedophilia. This ideology promotes the idea that children have the right to an “affective and sexual life” and to “have sexual relations with whomever they want, as long as it’s consensual,” following the abhorrent formula of Irene Montero, former Minister for Equality under Pedro Sánchez. Unfortunately, the Commission has embraced this notion of consent, albeit in more tempered terms. 

While the United States begins to turn the page on trans delusion, with young adults who were “transitioned” suing the surgeons who mutilated them in a historic legal case, the EU, completely out of step, is doubling down on efforts to turn this delusion into binding norms. Today, it’s Hungary’s turn—the usual punching bag of Brussels. The EU has already withheld billions of euros from Hungary over its child protection law, and now it faces a hefty fine and, who knows, perhaps even the suspension of its voting rights. Who will be next? Bulgaria and Lithuania, which already have similar laws? Slovakia, Romania, and Italy, which are considering taking the same step? Or any other country with a democratic mandate to distance itself from this ideology? 

So, yes, it’s true—this latest Commission vs. Hungary case is of monumental importance. It will either confirm or refute the EU’s increasingly centralist, dogmatic, and partisan tendencies, as it meddles in matters as intimate as the sexual education of children. Alea jacta est—I fear the Court’s verdict is already decided. But if that’s the case, the rebellion will have only just begun.