In Hong Kong, a woman faced the daunting challenge of traveling across two countries in a bid to conceive on her own. Meanwhile, a gay couple turned to extreme measures: forced to circumvent local surrogacy laws, they resorted to the black market in mainland China to expand their family.
As the city grapples with one of the lowest birth rates in the world, residents who wish to pursue non-traditional means of conception are finding themselves stymied by restrictive fertility regulations. This has prompted many to look abroad for costly and sometimes illegal options in hopes of becoming parents.
With Hong Kong’s birth rate standing at a dismal 0.8 children per woman — among the lowest globally, according to the UN Population Fund — the city’s leadership is desperately attempting to reverse the trend. In one initiative, Hong Kong’s leader distributed HK$520 million (approximately US$67 million) in baby bonuses, offering HK$20,000 for each newborn. A local lawmaker even proposed displaying baby photos in government offices to encourage procreation.
Despite these efforts, the city’s fertility policies remain rigid. For-profit surrogacy is banned, and access to fertility treatments like IVF is limited to married, heterosexual couples dealing with infertility. This means single individuals and members of the LGBTQ community are often left without options for starting a family. IVF, though responsible for only 4-5% of births in the city, has become a key issue of both economic and social equality in this bustling financial hub.
“Every baby counts. Each new child is an asset to the economy, contributing through taxes and the workforce,” said Emily Tiemann, health policy manager at the think tank Economist Impact in New York. She noted that many lawmakers worldwide are rethinking fertility laws as they grapple with ultra-low birth rates, and this conversation is now gaining traction in Hong Kong.
Amid these constraints, online forums and services catering to infertile Hong Kong residents have proliferated. Singles and couples alike are turning to foreign fertility clinics, with some even offering travel assistance to navigate these international treatments. At the same time, black-market networks for egg donations and surrogacy services are thriving, with brokers facilitating the underground trade.
Winnie Chow, co-founder of CRB law firm and former council member overseeing Hong Kong’s IVF clinics, described the city’s fertility regulations as “completely outdated.” She believes the current framework doesn’t reflect the diversity of modern family structures and is contributing to the city’s talent exodus. “If Hong Kong wants to attract global talent, it’s losing out by not recognizing various family models,” Chow stated.
As Hong Kong struggles to balance its fertility rules with its demographic and economic needs, the search for alternatives, both legal and illegal, is intensifying — revealing deep divides between traditional policies and the realities of modern family creation.
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