China's State-Run Xinhua News Agency Unusually Reports Unfiltered on Domestic Surrogacy Industry
120 Million Won One-Stop Package Popular... Known Cases Are Just the Tip of the Iceberg
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China's state-run Xinhua News Agency has focused on the illegally thriving 'China's surrogate mother black market.'
The issue of surrogacy has been a daily controversy in China after suspicions arose that famous Chinese celebrity Zheng Shuang went to the United States to attempt surrogate childbirth but abandoned the child midway and returned to China. Xinhua News Agency appears to recognize the surrogacy issue in Chinese society as serious enough to report the unfiltered reality of the 1.4 billion population of China.
On the 22nd, Xinhua News Agency published an article titled "The Surrogate Mother Black Market is Booming." Xinhua expressed concern, stating, "Although surrogacy is strictly prohibited by law in China, the surrogacy industry has recently been growing underground."
It also reported that the surrogacy industry consists of three types. Xinhua pointed out that surrogate childbirth is carried out in various ways, including providing sperm and eggs to the surrogate mother and becoming pregnant through in vitro fertilization, or receiving sperm or eggs from a third party.
Xinhua News Agency confirmed directly with an agency in Hunan Province that the one-stop package price, including eggs, surrogate mothers, and paternity confirmation certificates, is as high as 738,000 yuan (approximately 125 million KRW). The condition is to deliver a baby within two years.
Xinhua reported that there are as many as 36 companies providing similar services, and they are operating illegally throughout China, including Guangdong Province, Yunnan Province, Sichuan Province, and Beijing. It cited the case of an infertile couple living in Chengdu. Jin Pan (a pseudonym), a 42-year-old man, sought a Thai surrogate mother in Guangzhou, but the price reached 900,000 yuan, and he is currently raising money. He said he had undergone artificial insemination several times but was unsuccessful.
Xinhua also addressed the risks of surrogacy. First, it noted that older women living alone often become surrogate mothers. Among them, there are quite a few with illnesses, which later cause problems.
Medical risks were also pointed out. Extracting eggs from egg donors is a medically difficult procedure, and there are concerns that it can harm the health of both the egg donor and the surrogate mother.
Xinhua introduced a story of a woman in Sichuan Province who actually received eggs and found out she was infected with syphilis after becoming pregnant but had no choice but to give birth. This older woman decided to give birth due to the risks of abortion surgery. The child, now three years old, is reportedly not registered in the household registry. Xinhua added that there are also many cases where surrogate children are rejected by their parents due to physical defects.
Legal issues were also mentioned. Xinhua reported that as illegal surrogacy flourishes, legal disputes frequently arise, including contract disputes with surrogate mothers, custody disputes, and inheritance disputes involving surrogate mothers.
A Chinese lawyer said in an interview with Xinhua, "Children are not commodities and cannot be traded," adding, "Even if there is a surrogacy contract between the parties, legal rights cannot be guaranteed."
Xinhua emphasized, "The known illegal surrogacy industry in China is just the tip of the iceberg," and stressed, "Strong crackdowns by authorities and additional legislation such as special laws are urgently needed." It also added that various legal and institutional supports for infertile couples should be implemented simultaneously.
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