Amendments to reproductive rights focusing on women’s autonomy and supporting single and queer women who want to get pregnant have been submitted to the Executive Yuan, Health Promotion Administration Director-General Shen Ching-fen (沈靜芬) said today.
Shen spoke to media this morning prior to a press conference about blood pressure, saying that proposed amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act (人工生殖法) supporting women’s reproductive autonomy are being reviewed by the Executive Yuan.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
If a woman with viable eggs and a uterus wishes to get pregnant and give birth, the government should support her in realizing this dream, Shen said, adding that the scope of the amendment is limited to single and queer women.
Since Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage in 2019, more queer couples have begun raising children, but surrogacy is still prohibited domestically and seeking it abroad is in a legal gray area.
Recently, controversy has erupted online around overseas surrogacy cases.
One surrogacy case in Mexico resulted in quadruplets that led to claims of “buying children,” while another person who used a US surrogate was criticized for posting an unedited birth video and dismissing the need for prenatal checkups.
Shen said that every person has their own preferences and declined to comment on any specific case.
She emphasized that the privacy, rights and autonomy of surrogates are of the utmost importance, and that the interests of the child should be at the core of any birth plan.
The provisions in this amendment require assessing both parties’ circumstances before proceeding with assisted reproduction to ensure that the arrangement can serve the best interests of the future child, Shen said.
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