Rest of World | October 10, 2023
According to this article, in China, surrogacy is neither permitted nor prohibited under the law. Chinese LGBTQIA people are turning to online surrogacy services to have children, but censorship of queer content online limits access to reliable information and leaves intended parents vulnerable to scams.
The Standard | September 19, 2023
Shenzhen health authorities arrested six women, including a surrogate mother, an egg donor, a client waiting for an embryo transfer, laboratory staff and two nurses participating in an illegal surrogacy operation run by one man, who was also arrested.
LA Review of Books | September 16, 2023
Two recent books examine feminism in South Korea and China and draw attention to US involvement in reproductive control efforts in both countries. Motivated in part by incentives from the US, the South Korean government adopted population control policies that curtailed women’s reproductive rights.
The Chinese government’s implementation of the one-child policy helped spur the growth of a form of decentralized Chinese feminism distinct from Western autonomy-focused feminism. One evident example of the contrast is disagreement about whether surrogacy is a matter of women’s choice or will inevitably lead to the exploitation of poor women.
Reuters | July 11, 2023
The Chinese government announced that it is cracking down on illegal activities related to the use of assisted reproductive technologies, including surrogacy and the purchase of sperm or eggs.
Stella Chen | South China Morning Post | October 3, 2022
On Chinese social media, news that Cubans voted to legalize non-commercial surrogacy was greeted with some skepticism. Many voiced concerns that surrogacy, which is banned in China, exploits women’s bodies, while others shared support for its legalization.
Kevin McSpadden | South China Morning Post | August 4, 2021
A Chinese reproductive technology company is under police investigation after local publication The Paper and an undercover anti-trafficking advocate exposed them for illegal surrogacy arrangements and child trafficking. The advocate pretended to be an infertile woman, and the head of the company contacted him to arrange the “purchase” of an infant girl. The child-trafficking group allegedly consists of 100 members in different regions.
Sylvia Perez | Fox 32 Chicago | April 21, 2021
Surrogacy-born babies in suburban Chicago continue to be stranded 15 months into the pandemic, miles away from their intended parents in Taiwan and China. Embassies there are not accepting in-person appointments, so the parents cannot obtain the necessary travel documents to pick up their children. One surrogacy agency worker and her husband have cared for four such babies in the last year during these bureaucratic delays.
Koh Ewe | Vice | March 19, 2021
This article discusses the interconnectedness of surrogacy and the LGBTQ community in China. After actress Zheng Shuang’s scandal, surrogacy has garnered newfound attention and vehement scrutiny due to illegality in China as well as attention to the rights of women. LGBTQ couples voiced their worries about the negative perceptions of surrogacy impacting their ability to start families and affecting their recent progress towards societal acceptance.
Vice | March 18, 2021
Surrogacy and LGBTQ+ rights both lie in a legally grey area in China. Same sex couples in China who want to have a child sometimes seek surrogates and fertility treatment abroad––which involves prohibitive cost.
Phoebe Zhang | South China Morning Post | March 8, 2021
This article shares policy topics about women that will be discussed at Two Sessions, China’s yearly parliamentary meetings held in Beijing. A member of the National People’s Congress proposed a stricter ban on surrogacy and the use of underground and overseas agencies to address the recent commercial boom, especially in light of the scandal of actress Zheng Shuang. The two political parties will also discuss the treatment of children born outside of marriage, single mothers’ lack of access to assistive reproductive technologies, and a hotline to report domestic violence.
