A Chinese lesbian couple made history by giving birth to twins after undergoing in vitro fertilization, a feat that made headlines because of their homeland’s “rule book.”
A report from NPR featured Cleo Wu and Rui Cai who were blessed with two healthy babies via surrogacy last month.
Surrogacy in China
While surrogacy is an accepted procedure in China, it has only been limited to heterosexual couples who were also exclusively enjoying the country's reproductive health services.
According to the outlet, the couple underwent the procedure in the United States where they used sperm from an American sperm bank to fertilize two eggs from Wu.
The fertilized embryo was then transplanted into Cai's womb and carried the babies for nine months until she gave birth in April.
During an interview with NPR, Cai marveled at the rare situation she was in, emphasizing the magical feeling of becoming a mother against the odds.
"You've got to believe that you will make your dream come true, like making a baby," she said, adding that it is important to have confidence in the partnership in order to make things work.
"You have to be very confident about your partnership. Although you're a lesbian couple, it should be as strong as the other couples," she said, calling out to other gay and lesbian couples all around the highly heterosexual country.
According to the outlet, Cai and Wu had a better situation than most considering that they had enough money to even study in the United Kingdom.
Because of the lack of means to marry outside the country, most LGBT couples resort to risking getting reprimanded for their fake marriages and acquisition of black market services.
Rise in Surrogacy After One-child Policy Is Abolished
After the long-standing one-child policy in the country, China has finally allowed all Chinese couples to have a second child.
The new population policy bore many effects not just in the Chinese economy but also in surrogacy services abroad.
A report from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune posted in the Pasadena Star revealed that the U.S. is already feeling the effects of the end of China's one-child policy.
Alhambra-based law firm Ideal Legal Group Inc., which specializes in international surrogacy, told the outlet that they have already gotten more clients from China.
"We had a total of six clients for all of last year, but we've already had four clients just for the month of April this year," ILG's managing partner and founder Evie Jeang noted. "I see lots of surrogacy agencies popping up. They're doing a lot of advertising, but it's in Chinese, not English."
According to her, companies and individuals alike are approaching her to ask for help about surrogacy.
"I have people come up to me asking for help to form a business or corporation," she added. "They want to be the connector to help the Chinese couples who come to us for referrals to clinics and surrogacy agencies. This is like a new wave of business."