Anti-surrogacy activists protest bill under review at Legislature

Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) Women's groups protested outside Taiwan's Legislature on Thursday in opposition to draft amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act currently under discussion that could lead to the legalization of surrogacy in Taiwan.

Sixteen amendments were being discussed by lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, with various proposals from Taiwan's political parties to broaden access to artificial insemination for single women, same-sex couples and surrogate mothers.

Among these, five proposals -- specifically, those raised by Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers Hsieh Yi-fong (謝衣鳯), Chen Hui-ching (陳菁徽), Wang Yu-min (王育敏), the KMT party caucus, and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) party caucus -- contain provisions relating to surrogacy.

Surrogacy is currently illegal in Taiwan, although concerns about Taiwan's falling fertility rate and declining population have shifted public opinion toward allowing couples to use surrogate mothers.

Outside the Legislative Yuan, however, anti-surrogacy activists protested the meeting with banners bearing slogans including "Oppose the exploitation of women, Withdraw the surrogacy bill" and "Women are not for rent, Children are not for sale."

Speaking at the protest, Chen Shu-fang (陳書芳), secretary-general of Taiwan's Women's Link, called for an immediate halt to the review of the bill.

"Studies continue to indicate that surrogacy carries higher physical and mental health risks than non-surrogacy," Chen said. "This revision of the law lacks comprehensive consideration and ignores potential irreversible damage to the health of surrogates."

Chen Kai-ning (陳愷寧), spokesperson for the Taiwan Anti-Surrogacy Action Group, said that the KMT and TPP's proposals were not aimed at helping women but were driven by reproductive health institutions hoping to profit from the legalization of surrogacy.

"Having children is not a right," said Wang Hsiao-han (王筱涵) from the Awakening Foundation, a Taiwanese women's rights group.

Wang suggested that any "right to have children" would contradict the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"If surrogacy is legalized, it might lead to women's wombs becoming a commodity," said Savungaz Valincinan, president of the Indigenous Youth Public Participation Association.

"The first wave of exploitation might be economically disadvantaged Indigenous women," she suggested, adding that any change to the law should be accompanied by a thorough impact assessment covering ethnicity, gender and economic aspects.

The issue of surrogacy first came to the fore this year after the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced its own batch of draft amendments to the Assisted Reproduction Act on May 14.

The MOHW, however, withdrew a "surrogate mother system" from its proposed changes on Tuesday after eight Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers held a press conference criticizing the ministry's plan.

In accordance with standard procedure, any changes to the law would need to be passed in the Legislative Yuan after clearing the committee review stage.

Given the disagreements over who should be eligible for artificial insemination under the Assisted Reproduction Act, the issue is likely to remain under discussion -- both inside and outside the Legislature -- for some time.