Women's Groups Urge Taiwan's Legislature to Swiftly Amend Artificial Reproduction Act, Decouple from Surrogacy

(Taipei, April 14 — Reporter Chen Chun-hua) Several women's organizations today called on Taiwan's Legislative Yuan to swiftly amend the 'Artificial Reproduction Act' to uphold women's reproductive autonomy. They urged lawmakers to include single women and female same-sex couples as eligible recipients of assisted reproductive technologies, and to decouple surrogacy regulations from the bill to prevent ongoing legislative delays that would further harm women's rights.

The Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Public Health Committee is scheduled to continue reviewing the draft amendments to the Artificial Reproduction Act on April 16. Lin Lü-hung, Chairperson of Taiwan Women's Link; Tu Ying-chiu, Executive Director of the Women's Rescue Foundation; Chen Cheng-lung, Advocacy Director of the Awakening Foundation; and Chen Hui-wen, Executive Secretary of the National Federation of Women's Organizations, held a press conference at the legislature this morning.

Lin Lü-hung stated that current legislative proposals from both ruling and opposition parties fall into two categories: those with and without a dedicated 'surrogacy chapter.' From the women's groups' perspective, this amendment should be separated from surrogacy debates. Artificial reproduction laws regulate the use of reproductive technologies, whereas surrogacy involves complex and intricate ethical considerations.

Lin emphasized that embedding such a highly controversial issue as surrogacy within the Artificial Reproduction Act would be an overly simplistic approach. Many single women and lesbian couples are already planning to have children and should be granted access to reproductive technologies through the less contentious parts of the bill, which could be passed quickly to allow them to safely conceive in Taiwan.

Chen Cheng-lung noted that during previous legislative reviews, some politicians attempted to use surrogacy as a bargaining chip for political gains with other parties, and he expressed concern that similar tactics might reappear. He supports the Executive Yuan's draft proposal to expand access to assisted reproduction for single women and lesbian couples, but opposes the inclusion of a highly controversial surrogacy system.

Chen stressed that women's reproductive autonomy should not be constrained by patriarchal norms of marriage and childbirth. The current law only applies to heterosexual married couples, leaving many women who have frozen their eggs unable to use them due to lack of a marital status. 'Why must a woman obtain a man's consent to bear a child?' he questioned. Further delays could mean that women may lose their biological ability to conceive as they age.

Tu Ying-chiu stated that single women and lesbian couples have long awaited the amendment of the Artificial Reproduction Act. Women inherently possess the right to bear children using their own bodies, and legal reform would safeguard their reproductive rights. Many women freeze their eggs for their own future use, and should be allowed to have children when they are financially stable, even if they choose not to marry.

Tu added that society accepts unmarried pregnancies, yet denies single women and same-sex couples the right to have their own children — a contradiction. Surrogacy could lead to the exploitation of vulnerable women, as all physical and health risks fall on the surrogate. Given its complex human rights, health, and legal implications, surrogacy should not be bundled with the Artificial Reproduction Act, as it would hinder access for women who simply wish to become mothers. (Edited by Wan Shu-chang) 1150714