Black market surrogacy heightens illegal pregnancies in China

World Today

Surrogate pregnancies are illegal in China, but many women have been finding ways around the ban. There’s a whole new market for surrogacy clinics, and it’s thriving thanks to online resources. CCTV’s Jie Bai reported the story.

For one million yuan, you can get a baby boy of your own, or at least that’s what’s being advertised by China’s booming surrogacy clinics and agencies for childless families.

There’s a huge demand, with more than 20 people making inquiries every day. The Baby Plan Agency helps its clients buy eggs, implants embryos and offers follow-up treatment. They link up couples desperate for children with women desperate for money.

The surrogate mothers bear most of the risks. These women are strictly confined to a three-bedroom flat due to the illegality of surrogacy.

A recent relaxation of the one-child policy and rising infertility have resulted in a surge in demand. There’s a debate now on whether the law should be more flexible.

“There are always some infertile patients who need surrogacy to have a child,” Liu Ping of Peking University’s 3rd Hospital said. “They should have the chance. Otherwise it its a great pity for them.”

Ping also said the ban on surrogacy in hospitals is driving people into the murky world of online brokers.