Ko Wen-je says DPP rejected deal on surrogacy bill, defense budget

Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rejected a proposal put forth by the opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which offered its support for the government's annual budget and special defense spending if the DPP backed a bill to legalize surrogacy, former TPP Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said Sunday.

Speaking at a forum in Kaohsiung, Ko said he had approached DPP legislative caucus convener Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) with the offer, arguing that surrogacy was not an ideological issue and should not be subject to Taiwan's usual political divisions.

If the DPP had accepted the deal, Ko said, the TPP would have backed the government's 2026 annual budget proposal, as well as its NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.8 billion) special defense budget, both of which remain stalled in the Legislature.

He did not specify when the TPP offered to make the deal, but said it would have allowed both sides to "save face" on their respective priorities and eased the deadlock between the government and opposition-controlled Legislature.

"As it turned out, the DPP was unwilling [to accept the proposal]," Ko said, alleging that the ruling party preferred "chaos" and "opposition for the sake of opposition."

Assisted reproduction debate

Taiwan's Legislature is currently exploring various options for amending the Assisted Reproduction Act, with the aim of reversing the country's declining birth rate.

In December, the DPP Cabinet proposed an amendment to the law, aiming to allow single women and married lesbian couples to access assisted reproductive technology, which is currently available only to infertile heterosexual couples.

The DPP has argued that the surrogacy issue should be dealt with independently, due to its controversial nature.

Meanwhile, TPP lawmaker Chen Gao-tzu (陳昭姿) has proposed an amendment to legalize surrogacy for "anyone who wants to become a parent," regardless of marital status, gender, or sexual orientation.

The KMT legislative caucus, as well as three other KMT lawmakers, have each proposed bills that would allow surrogacy for heterosexual married couples. However, only one of the proposed bills -- put forth by Legislator Chen Ching-hui (陳菁徽) -- includes same-sex married couples.

DPP response

In a Facebook post on Sunday, DPP Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) slammed Ko and the TPP over the proposed deal, accusing them of using public safety as a "political bargaining chip."

While changes to the Assisted Reproduction Act are needed, they should be made through consideration of a bill's content and support measures -- not based on "emotion, bargaining, or political calculations," Chen said.

As for Taiwan's defense budget, the opposition should review the government's proposal and explain why it wants to cut certain items, rather than simply blocking the entire bill, Chen said.