Beijing, Nov 13 China on Friday made surrogacy a criminal offence, tightening regulations following reports of underground facilities illegally providing assisted reproductive services.
China strictly prohibits all forms of surrogacy, and organising such arrangements constitutes a criminal offence that violates ethical norms and will attract severe legal penalties, National Health Commission spokesperson Yang Jinrui said.
So-called “surrogacy agreements” are not protected by law, and those involved in such arrangements may also face legal accountability, Yang was quoted as saying by the official media.
The warning follows reports that illegal facilities were operating in Changsha, the capital of central China’s Hunan Province, providing assisted reproductive services.
Twenty-one people were detained, and drugs used in the procedures were seized during an investigation into the illegal operations, state-run Global Times reported.
China banned surrogacy in 2001, prohibiting medical institutions and healthcare professionals from undertaking any form of surrogacy technology.
The National Health Commission has maintained that the practice poses serious risks to women’s health and rights, commodifies their bodies and reduces them to “birthing tools”, undermining human dignity.
Unregulated surrogacy also carries significant medical risks, including pregnancy-related complications and unsafe medical procedures, the commission has said.
(PTI News)
