Two Taipei-based doctors said there is no need to ease requirements for artificial reproduction after the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) on Thursday said it would consider relaxing the conditions set by the Artificial Reproduction Act (人工生殖法).
Media reports on Wednesday that a 62-year-old woman, surnamed Wu (吳), had given birth to a boy late last month have sparked a debate on whether postmenopausal women should be considered infertile and qualify for artificial insemination.
The act stipulates that to qualify for the procedure, either the husband or the wife has to be diagnosed with infertility or a major hereditary disease.
However, the act also stipulates that couples who have a legitimate medical reason and the approval of an authority can still undergo the procedure even if neither is infertile or has a major hereditary disease.
The condition of infertility does not need to be relaxed, Taipei Veterans General Hospital’s Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility director Lee Hsin-yang (李新揚) said.
The infertility requirement in the act is not difficult to meet, he said.
As long as a person is unable to conceive after a year of engaging in regular sexual activity, he or she can be considered “infertilite with an unclear cause.”
The US does not recommend artificial reproduction for women over the age of 55, he said, adding that other than potential complications from the pregnancy, there is also the problem of child-rearing.
Taiwan should also set conditions for the appropriate use of the procedure, he said.
The core spirit of the act is the interests and well-being of the child, Tri-Service General Hospital’s Division of Gynecologic Endocrinology and Infertility director Wu Kuo-chang (武國璋) said.
Giving birth to children at a much-older age is disadvantageous to child-rearing and could lead to problems for society, he said.
Whether an age limit should be set should be discussed and taken seriously, he said.
Other conditions that are currently in place are reasonable and do not need to be adjusted, he said.
HPA Director-General Wang Ying-wei (王英偉) on Thursday said that the agency would investigate whether any laws were violated in the case of the 62-year-old woman.
Additional reporting by CNA
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