What’s new: China’s National Health Commission (NHC) is soliciting expert opinions on a potential policy shift to allow unmarried women access to egg freezing, Caixin has learned.
With the support of the NHC, Peking University Third Hospital is also soliciting opinions on how to improve the effectiveness and safety of assisted reproductive technology, as well as medical service guarantees for women of high reproductive age, as the country struggles with a shrinking population and a falling fertility rate.
An expert participating in the talks remarked that the feasibility of establishing egg banks was also discussed.
The background: According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the nation’s population decreased by a total of 850,000 in 2022 — the first time in six decades. The nation’s birth rate also dropped to 6.77 for every 1,000 people last year, the lowest point since record taking began 70 years ago.
Unmarried women in the country are currently banned from undergoing fertility treatments, including egg freezing. Northeastern China’s Jilin province is the only one that permits unmarried women access to assisted reproductive technology, under a regulation passed by the standing committee of the provincial legislature in September 2002.
Last year, a Beijing court ruled against a legal challenge by an unmarried woman seeking to freeze her eggs, which reignited debate over gender inequality, as single men are legally entitled to freeze their sperm for use at a later date.
Contact reporter Li Hang (hangli@caixin.com) and editor Leila Hashemi (leilahashemi@caixin.com)
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