CCTV9英语新闻：Second-child policy allows more to have kids

For more on this, we are joined in the studio by CCTV's Jin Yingqiao. 

 

Q1, Tell us more about the demand behind the surrogacy boom?

 

A1, There are multiple factors, first let's talk about the surge of new born babies. China's decades old one child policy has been relaxed to two children now. According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, this means that an additional 90 million women in China have become eligible to have a second child.

 

But, the commission said 60 percent of these women are 35 years old or above, which could mean increased risks of complications. On the other hand, the fertility rate among childbearing couples has declined over the years. According to the China Population Association, there were 40 million infertile patients by the end of 2012, accounting for 12.5 percent of those aged between 20 to 49.

 

While in 1992, it was just three percent. One factor seems to be environmental pollution. Sperm expert Doctor Li Zheng at Shanghai's Renji Hospital coordinated a study that shows worsening environmental conditions were keeping pace with the falling quality of sperm and the condition of aspermia, which causes men to produce no semen at all and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences has also announced a study on the connection between female infertility and pollution.

 

Q2, Surrogacy has not been legalized in China. Tell us more about the situation here.

 

A2, It's a pretty complicated situation just early last year, the country's top health watchdog coordinated a crackdown on illegal surrogacy in China. But at the end of 2015, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, decided to drop a plan to ban surrogacy.

 

Zhang Chunsheng, head of legal affairs at the National Health and Family Planning Commission said that "Some members of the Standing Committee argued that surrogacy cannot be totally forbidden." She said, "rich people would still be able to go abroad to countries where surrogacy is allowed."

 

Well, on the underground surrogacy market in China, there are reports that show a lot of the surrogate mothers are college students, some are even still in high school. A lot of risks involved, for example in one case, the surrogate mother had a miscarriage, and the client refused to give her compensation.

 

In other cases, the egg donors are not informed of the health risks when acquiring the eggs. Doctors say if the surgery is not done well, it could lead to sterilization.