Zheng Shuang, 29, was one of China’s most popular actresses after being famous ten years ago. Zhang Heng, 30, was a talented producer for a variety show. In 2018, the pair went public with a series of couple selfies and often appeared affectionately in the limelight afterwards – even co-starring in a popular reality TV series.
So fans were shocked when Zhang took to China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo earlier this month. to claim he was stranded in the United States for over a year, left alone to “care for and protect two young and innocent lives.”
The couple are believed to have separated when two surrogate mothers they hired were pregnant with their children, with Zheng being accused of abandoning the babies.
He also released a recording of an alleged phone call, in which Zheng’s parents allegedly suggested abandoning the children or giving them up for adoption, while Zheng reportedly expressed frustration that abortion was not an option. viable option given the mothers were 7 months pregnant at the time. .
The allegations shocked many in China, where family ties are generally valuable, and sparked outrage on social media. It has also sparked a debate over surrogacy in a country that officially opposes the practice, yet has a booming underground market.
Storm of critics
The scandal exploded on Weibo after Zhang’s post, with the associated hashtag racking up more than 3 billion views and drawing a torrent of criticism against Zheng. And the backlash wasn’t limited to the online sphere.
Within days, Zheng was censored by state media and condemned by agencies of the ruling Communist Party (CCP) in China. “Surrogacy is clearly prohibited in our country, and its contempt for life arouses anger,” state broadcaster CCTV said in a comment.
The CCP’s top political and legal committee accused Zheng of “taking advantage of legal loopholes” by seeking surrogate mothers in the United States, calling her actions “definitely illegal.” “Surrogacy is banned in China because it uses women’s uteri as a tool and sells life as a commercial product,” the commission wrote.
Zheng was discontinued by several international brands, including luxury fashion brand Prada.
Responding to the firestorm, Zheng wrote on Weibo on Tuesday that “this is a very sad and private matter for me.” She did not directly address the allegations over the surrogacy dispute, but said she “did not violate state instructions on Chinese soil and comply with all laws and regulations abroad. “.
Technically, Zheng was right.
While surrogacy has long been in the Chinese government’s sights, seen as a threat to its strict population control policies, the country’s national lawmaker has never passed legislation explicitly banning it.
In 2001, the Department of Health issued a set of assisted reproductive technology regulations, which prohibited medical institutions and health workers from “practicing any form of substitute technology.” The trade in sperm, ova, zygotes and embryos is also strictly prohibited. Medical institutions can be fined up to 30,000 yuan ($ 4,632) for violations, according to the rules.
But the document does not prohibit individuals or agencies from ordering or providing surrogacy services, or listing the corresponding penalties. Legal limbo has led to a growing illegal surrogacy industry driven by huge demand as more Chinese couples travel overseas for surrogacy services.
The United States, where commercial surrogacy is permitted for foreigners in some states, has become a top choice for China’s wealthy elites, thanks to its mature industry and high safety standards. A child born in the United States will also have American citizenship – a bonus for some Chinese parents.
An outright ban?
Debates over the ethical issues of surrogacy have taken place around the world, with opponents warning that the practice can lead to the exploitation and trafficking of women, the commodification of the female body and children, and worsening inequalities between rich and poor.
But the official condemnation of Zheng’s actions comes from a government that has been criticized for decades for using forced abortion and sterilization to limit the number of children in each family. While China’s one-child policy was relaxed in 2016 – allowing couples to have two children – the country now has a declining birth rate and a rapidly aging society, which means it has a need urgently needed more newborns to avoid a looming demographic crisis.
The Chinese government has resorted to a series of policies to encourage young people to marry and have children – with very limited success. However, it still prohibits the commercial use of many reproductive techniques, such as egg freezing, which would give women the freedom to have children later in life.
Surrogacy, along with other forms of assisted reproductive technology, offers infertile couples the opportunity to have biological offspring. According to a 2009 survey by the China Population Association, 12.5% of Chinese of childbearing age – or 40 million people – were infertile. There are also requests for surrogacy from a large number of older couples who have lost their only child, or just want a second now that they can, as well as a growing number of LGBT couples. .
While Chinese health authorities and other government agencies have launched periodic crackdowns, including a joint campaign in 2015 by a dozen government departments on surrogacy services, it has not served in the long run. .
This has led some experts to suggest that Beijing should legalize the practice in the home, provide more protection for surrogate mothers, and meet the growing demand from infertile couples and older parents as the policy eased. ‘only child. But many oppose the idea and call for a ban on surrogacy, citing a host of ethical concerns.
Yuan Xiaolu, a Chinese lawyer, told the state-run Xinhua News Agency that the “lost cost” for breaking the regulations is an important reason for the underground market to come to the crackdowns.
A lack of regulation on the industry also means that there is little protection for surrogates and babies.
State-run news website The Paper last week reported that a couple canceled a deal with a surrogate in southwest China after finding out she had syphilis. during her pregnancy. The surrogate eventually raised the child on her own, but still couldn’t get her registered three years later, as she sold the child’s birth certificate on the black market to pay her bills. hospital after having a cesarean.
End of career?
Following the Zheng controversy, there have been new calls for China to ban all forms of surrogacy outright. But some analysts believe this will only push the practice further underground, as demand is likely to only increase in the future.
It remains to be seen whether the government will respond with another round of crackdowns or introduce a bill to explicitly ban the practice.
But what seems certain is that Zheng’s career as an A-list actress has taken a hit. While public outrage on Chinese social media was primarily aimed at his seemingly non-maternal instincts, and reportedly left his ex-partner alone and unable to return home with two children born in the United States due to the pandemic, he was clear that the state had taken a greater shadow over him. circumvent its rules on surrogacy.
China’s National Radio and Television Administration released a commentary on the Zheng scandal on Wednesday evening. “(She) has circumvented the law to seek surrogacy abroad, then wanting to give up (her babies), actors like her lack personal virtue,” the comment said.
“We will not give the celebrities involved in such scandals the chance and the platform to make a public appearance.
