Surrogacy may involve donating sperm, eggs, or carrying and giving birth to a baby for someone else. (Photo : Reuters)
The Chinese surrogacy sector expects a surge in the number of its customer after the government announced that it will lift its one-child policy and allow all couples to have a second child.
On Oct. 29, the Communist Party of China (CPC) said that it will ease its family planning policy in order to address the country's aging population.
As some view that the historic move came too late for older couples who long to have a second child, a number of them are considering alternative methods, one of which is surrogacy.
According to the surrogacy agencies reached by the Global Times after the announcement, they already saw an increase in the number of people reaching out to them about having their second child.
Surrogacy is a method by which a woman is sought to carry and give birth to a baby on behalf of a couple by either using the couple's sperms and eggs or by a donated material through in-vitro fertilization.
A staff member of a Shanghai-based surrogacy agency revealed that there are three types of customers. The first type is those who are too old to risk giving birth to a child or due to the fact that the eggs of those aged over 35 have a bigger chance of having chromosomal abnormalities. The second type is those who have problems with the womb. The third type is those who want to decide the gender of the embryo.
Back in 2001, surrogacy was officially forbidden in China after the government ruled that no medical institution or personnel are allowed to perform the method. Nonetheless, surrogacy agencies carried on their operations arguing that the law only banned hospitals and medical organizations.
