"Voluntary Single Mother" Sayuri, Will She Change the "Normal Family" Framework? [Kim Ga-yeon's Perspective Twist]

Sayuri Gives Birth as Single Mother Using Donated Sperm... Raises Questions About Family Concepts
Civilians "Need to Respect the Right to Form Diverse Family Types"
Experts "Must Keep Up with Westernizing Mindsets of Younger Generations"

Japanese-born broadcaster Sayuri Fujita, who recently announced the birth of her child / Photo by Sayuri

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Sayuri Fujita, a Japanese-born broadcaster, recently revealed on her SNS the news of giving birth through sperm donation as a 'voluntary single mother,' sparking growing voices among citizens calling for a change in the concept of 'normal family.'

There are cases like Sayuri Fujita who choose to be voluntary single mothers, and the forms of family members are becoming more diverse, including 'DINKs,' single-parent families, and adoptive families.

The term normal family refers to a nuclear family consisting of father, mother, and children, defining this as the 'ideal family form.'

On the 16th, Sayuri Fujita announced on her Instagram that she gave birth to a son in Japan through sperm donation. In an interview with KBS1's 'News 9' on the same day, she said, "In Korea, only married people can undergo IVF, and everything else was illegal. I hope the right to have children will be recognized," adding, "I wanted to be a proud mother to my child, not a lying mother."

Meanwhile, among citizens, there are opinions that as family forms diversify, there is a need to change the social perception that demands a 'normal family.'

Under the 'normal family' standard, voluntary single mothers like Sayuri Fujita, single-parent families, grandparent-grandchild families, childless families, adoptive families, and cohabiting families are all considered not proper families.

However, now that society accepts and supports becoming a single mother through sperm donation and openly sharing that fact, the concept of family itself needs to be reconsidered.

Citizens raised their voices saying, "The concept of family should be expanded," and in response to some criticisms like "single-parent families may hurt children," they unanimously said, "That perception itself is wrong."

University student Choi (21) said, "In Korea, institutional support is very lacking for cases that deviate from the normal family ideology, such as single motherhood," and pointed out, "It is necessary to revise the system in line with the steadily changing perceptions and to change the outdated concept of family."

Choi added, "In our country, couples who cohabit or do not have children are also criticized. People should be ashamed of belittling others based on their own standards," and continued, "Even families called ideal can be unhappy due to violence or wounds from parents. According to the logic of those who criticize, aren't those parents selfish too?"

Office worker Kang (28) said, "We cannot live forever with outdated ways of thinking," and strongly criticized, "'It's inevitable to have prejudice' only reveals that one has prejudice against single mothers. Such remarks rather reinforce prejudice."

Broadcaster Sayuri revealed a photo during an interview with KBS1 'News 9' on the 16th / Photo by KBS1 'News 9' broadcast screen capture

According to a public opinion survey, as citizens expressed, the majority of the public thinks that 'various family forms should be accepted.'

According to the 'Public Opinion Survey on Family Diversity' conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in May with 1,500 citizens, 69.7% of respondents answered, "Even if not related by marriage or blood, if they share livelihood and residence, they can be family."

Regarding having children without marriage, 48.3% said they could accept it, an increase of 3.8 percentage points compared to last year. Among various families, acceptance of individuals was highest for 'children of single-parent families' (81.2%), 'adopted children' (80.4%), and 'children of multicultural families' (79.7%).

Also, about three out of ten citizens answered that it is possible to have children without marriage.

According to Statistics Korea on the 18th, a survey of 38,000 citizens in the '2020 Social Survey' showed that 30.7% of respondents said, "It is possible to have children without marriage." This response has steadily increased from 22.4% in 2012, 22.5% in 2014, 24.2% in 2016, to 30.3% last year.

As a result, there are calls in the political sphere to improve outdated perceptions of family, including legalizing single motherhood pregnancy.

Kang Min-jin, the preparatory committee chairperson of the Youth Justice Party, released a statement on the 17th, saying, "Korea's Bioethics Act, which requires legal husband's consent for women to receive sperm donation for pregnancy, is problematic," criticizing, "It contains the wrong perception that only childbirth within marriage is normal and does not recognize women's right to self-determination."

Experts advised respecting individual choices as society changes.

Nam-chul Park, director of the Korea Public Sperm Bank and professor of urology at Pusan National University Hospital, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "Looking at Sayuri Fujita's case, I think the time has come for Korea as well," adding, "In most OECD countries, single women can give birth through non-spousal artificial insemination. We need to respond to the rapidly westernizing mindset of young people and provide legal and medical support to successful single women who choose this themselves."

Regarding concerns such as "Can a mother do whatever she wants with the child's life and future?" and "Side effects may occur," Park said, "There may be an aspect of greatly exaggerating various side effects," and explained, "(Over about 30 years) there have been no significant side effects. The reason advanced countries allow non-spousal artificial insemination is based on the principle that decisions about pregnancy and childbirth are individual matters and cannot be unilaterally imposed by the state or society."

He continued, "People who try to have children through non-spousal artificial insemination are those who have well-prepared conditions for pregnancy and childbirth. The ethics committee judges whether they can raise the child in a good environment, with a reflection period of about six months," and added, "Recent reports show that children born through non-spousal artificial insemination are healthier and have better family nurturing conditions than those born to normal couples, resulting in higher social adaptability and better growth."