The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday released draft amendments that would legalize surrogacy, along with assisted reproduction for single women and lesbian couples.
The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said that it has set a July 13 deadline for public feedback to the proposed amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法) and is hopeful that it can be forwarded to the Executive Yuan for review by the end of the year.
The amendments also listed the rights that should be granted to surrogate mothers, and couples and unmarried women undergoing assisted reproduction.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
The draft amendments state that assisted reproduction must be non-compensatory, but those seeking the service must provide the surrogate mother with the necessary funds under a designated account, as well as insurance.
The surrogate mother may not begin the process until the insurance policy has gone into effect, and the couple is banned from terminating the contract while the surrogate is carrying the child, the draft states.
Surrogates would undergo an evaluation before the procedure, taking into consideration their vocation, economic capability and other factors to ensure there are no ulterior motives, it says.
Unmarried surrogates should also be evaluated on their ability to care for children, as well as other factors such as support systems, and their relationship and attitude toward their intimate partner, it says.
Unmarried women undergoing assisted reproductive procedure are banned from using specific sperm donations, and same-sex partners are prohibited from using sperm or eggs of their immediate family and close kin, the draft states.
How donated sperm and eggs are to be used, and official contracts for same-sex couples and those seeking surrogacy, are all detailed in the draft.
Asked about the draft, Taiwan Women’s Link founder Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said that the group and 20 others had petitioned that the issue of assisted reproduction and surrogacy be dealt with separately.
Moreover, complex or vital issues should not be dealt with during a government transition, and the current administration pushing forward with the draft shows disrespect for the incoming administration, she added.
Awakening Foundation secretary-general Chyn Yu-rung (覃玉蓉) said that some of the contract obligations have been left blank by the HPA, which would give too much power to the legislative branch.
Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights secretary-general Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔) said the issue of surrogacy is controversial and, if discussed in tandem with assisted reproduction, could cause unmarried women or lesbian couples to lose out on assisted reproduction rights.
Additional reporting by Yang Yuan-ting
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
The WHO ignored early COVID-19 warnings from Taiwan, US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill said on Friday, as part of justification for Washington withdrawing from the global health body. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said that the US was pulling out of the UN agency, as it failed to fulfill its responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO “ignored early COVID warnings from Taiwan in 2019 by pretending Taiwan did not exist, O’Neill wrote on X on Friday, Taiwan time. “It ignored rigorous science and promoted lockdowns.” The US will “continue international coordination on infectious
RSS