Several medical institutions in China have recently been revealed to be involved in birth trafficking.MedicineEvidence, Chinese media reported, that illegally obtained birth certificates play an important role in the underground market for child selling and surrogacy. It also highlights the ineffectiveness of official bans on surrogacy and the high threshold for formal adoption.
Hubei Jiangyang Municipal Government said on the 12th that six people, including the director of Jiangyang Jianqiao Hospital, were arrested by the prosecutor on suspicion of selling birth certificates and babies. In addition to this case, there are also reports of hospitals in Nanning, Guangxi and Foshan, Guangdong selling birth certificates. China’s National Health Commission said on the 17th that it has dispatched supervision teams to these places to seriously investigate and deal with related issues such as smuggling of birth medical certificates.
Caixin pointed out today that the market for selling birth certificates has a long history, and there have been some early violationsFamily planningUnder the policy families legalize the status of their “extra-born” children by purchasing birth certificates. Part of this is used to “whitewash” the identities of abducted children. In recent years, the crime of child trafficking has declined, but the crime of parents selling their biological children for profit has increased.
There is also some demand for fake birth certificates from surrogacy groups. To make surrogacy legal in China, women providing surrogacy cannot have their actual personal information used during the entire process of hospitalization and delivery or to obtain medical birth certificates for their newborns.
According to the report, many surrogacy agencies said that the birth certificate is guaranteed to be issued by a regular medical institution. “Everyone at the hospital is an acquaintance. Unless they say they’re a surrogate, no one will.” Unable to apply for domestic registration.” The cost of surrogacy ranges from RMB 400,000 (approximately US$55,000) to RMB 550,000 (approximately US$76,000), depending on the assisted reproductive technology. An additional RMB 10,000 (approximately US$1,380) is required.
These demands have created a market for birth certificates, including fake medical birth certificates created by middlemen, certificates showing genuine information, and certificates stolen and sold by medical institutions in collaboration with middlemen . Even local regulatory authorities are involved.
However, the report points out that the disparity between the costs of breaking the law and the rewards of breaking the law is too high, so restrictions on illegal activities continue, and there are also real needs behind these illegal activities.For example , based onBeijingAccording to a 2021 survey article by the Haidian District People’s Court, 60% of the reasons for starting surrogacy are physical barriers and inability to conceive children on their own, while 26.67% of clients are unmarried but hope to raise children.
In addition, some people believe that China’s adoption system is relatively strict. The adoptee must not have any children, the adoptee must be an orphan or the parents must have special difficulties and be unable to raise them. The procedures are also strict, leading some families to prefer buying through illegal channels. Allow the child to enter.
China(TagstoTranslate)Medicine(T)Beijing(T)Family Planning
