Social Egg Freezing for Single Women in China: Legal and Ethical Controversies

Figures & data

Table 1 Restrictions on Assisted Reproductive Technologies for Single Women in China

Areas of China	Laws and Regulations	Restriction Type	Restrictions on Assisted Reproductive Technologies for Single Women
China Mainland	Administrative Measures for Assisted Human Reproductive Technology	General principles	The application of human assisted reproductive technology should be carried out in medical institutions for medical purposes and in accordance with national family planning policies, ethical principles and relevant legal provisions.
	Norms of Assisted Human Reproductive Technology	Code of conduct for technical staff	Prohibit the implementation of human assisted reproductive technology to couples who do not meet the provisions of national population and family planning laws and regulations and for single women.
	Ethical Principles of Assisted Human Reproductive Technology	Public welfare principle	Medical personnel must strictly implement national laws and regulations on population and family planning, and shall not implement human assisted reproductive technology for couples who do not meet the provisions of national population and family planning laws and regulations and for single women.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region	Human Reproductive Technology Ordinance	Prohibitions	Prohibition on assisted reproduction: According to Article 15(5), subject to subsections (6), (7) and (8), no person shall provide a reproductive technology procedure to persons who are not the parties to a marriage. Exceptions for egg freezing: According to Article 15(8), Subsection (5) shall not apply in the case of the reproductive technology procedure referred to in paragraph (c) of the definition of reproductive technology procedure in section 2(1), which is the obtaining of gametes.
Taiwan Region	Law on Artificial Reproduction	General principles	Article 2: The surgical couple who is eligible for artificial reproduction refers to the husband and wife who have undergone artificial reproduction and are able to conceive and give birth to a fetus in their uterus.

Figure 1 Women’s total fertility rate by age in China in the year 2000, 2010 and 2020.Data collected from China Population Census Yearbooks of National Bureau of Statistics.

Figure 2 Women’s first fertility rate by age in China in the year 2000, 2010 and 2020.Data collected from China Population Census Yearbooks of National Bureau of Statistics.