'Surrogate mother' mock test essay sparks online controversy

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) A mock university entrance exam essay on Tuesday asking students to imagine their mother as a surrogate sparked criticism from both student groups and anti-surrogacy campaigners.

The question asked students to "imagine a future in which surrogacy is legalized and narrate on feelings of struggles or support as your mother chooses to become a surrogate and carries the pregnancy to birth."

After the test, some students said they felt "disgusted" by the question and criticized it for implying support for legalizing surrogacy, while others argued that such reactions reflect "discrimination against surrogates" and that the discomfort may mirror realities some people face, according to reports.

The exam was administered to high school students in Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung, with New Taipei City's Education Department confirming on Tuesday that Han Lin Publishing Co. Ltd. was responsible for the test papers' contents, and schools could decide whether to adopt the materials.

On Wednesday, Han Lin Publishing Co. Ltd. apologized on Facebook, with Chairman Chen Yen-liang (陳彥良) expressing regret for any student discomfort and pledging stricter review of future exam content.

The Ed Youth advocacy group, composed of high school and university students, criticized the question for assuming only biological females can be "mothers," arguing it ignores family diversity, reinforces gender expectations, and pressures students to adopt certain stances, undermining critical thinking.

Anti-Surrogacy Taiwan also condemned the essay for framing female sacrifice as a given and "forcing one-sided empathy."

MOHW Deputy Minister Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said on Threads that, while she had no comment on the question's appropriateness, the controversy is "a perfect chance" to rethink surrogate motherhood.

She noted that public opinion often shifts when close family members are involved and reaffirmed that the MOHW handles surrogacy separately from the Assisted Reproduction Act, with proposed amendments from December 2024 currently under Executive Yuan review.

First published in May 2024, the amendments initially aimed to expand artificial insemination to single women, same-sex couples and surrogate mothers, but surrogate mothers were later excluded.

In Taiwan, surrogacy legalization has been debated since 1996, when the then-Department of Health first proposed conditional surrogacy in the Assisted Reproduction Act.

The legislation was postponed amid controversy, and in 2004, the department decided to handle surrogacy separately, finalizing the act in 2007.