Authors: Huizhong Wu and EMILY WANG FUJIYAMA
Associated Press
Beijing (Associated Press) – An unmarried woman is suing in Beijing for the right to freeze eggs. Her case is being heard in court. This is a rare legal challenge against China’s restrictions on unmarried women’s reproductive health.
Since December 2019, Xu Zhimo has been waiting for the second hearing in Beijing Chaoyang People’s Court. She is suing the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Capital Medical University, which is a public hospital, citing national laws to prohibit her from freezing eggs.
Xu’s victory may mark an important step for unmarried Chinese women hoping for public welfare. However, unlike the United States, Chinese court decisions do not rely on priority.
“It has been three years from 2018 to the present, and my eggs have also grown old, and deadlines have become more and more pressing,” said 33-year-old Xu.
After the latest census data showed that population growth was slowing and the proportion of elderly people was increasing, her case was heard. Since 2016, the number of newborns has declined year by year. National statistics show that there will be 12 million newborns in 2020, a decrease of 18% from the 14.6 million in 2019.
Beijing’s response was to allow families to have a third child, and said it would modify the policy to help families who want to have children.
For decades, China has been implementing the “one-child” policy. It slightly relaxed restrictions in 2015, allowing families to have two children, but this did not change the overall slowdown in population growth.
However, certain aspects of the system, such as the linking of reproductive health services and maternity benefits to women’s marital status, make it difficult for some people.
China only allows married couples to obtain reproductive services and related benefits, and they must be able to prove their marital status with a permit.
“I hope that the signal that it needs population growth will give single women a chance to make their own choices,” Xu told reporters before the court.
In November 2018, Ms. Xu went to the hospital to see a doctor. When she went to see the doctor, she was asked to give birth instead of freezing eggs. The doctor also asked to see her marriage certificate.
Xu said her court hearings have been delayed, partly because of the pandemic.
She briefly considered going abroad, but the cost is between US$15,500 and US$31,000, which is not feasible.
