In China, surrogacy has become a black market industry and related news is frequently reported. Recently, an illegal surrogacy underground laboratory in Wuhan, Hubei Province, claimed to be the “largest in central China,” was reported and 8 suspects were arrested.
According to Guan Zhengyi, a volunteer combatting child trafficking in China, on September 7th, he exposed on social media that a hidden illegal surrogacy organization was operating in a secluded courtyard in the Wuhu Street area of Wuhan. The staff inside claimed that it was the largest surrogacy facility in central China, equipped with operating rooms and laboratories.
The surrogacy industry consists of demanders, intermediaries, egg and sperm donors, surrogacy service providers, and underground “laboratories”. These underground “laboratories” are the technical core of the surrogacy industry chain and the key link where medical procedures are directly carried out.
Guan Zhengyi revealed that he had spent a year undercover inside the surrogacy organization and learned from insiders that the doctors and anesthetists performing surgeries there were experts from a provincial-level authoritative hospital.
According to the exposure, the surrogacy group operated in a high-profile manner, with the boss owning a luxury car with a lightbox at the rear blatantly displaying “surrogacy” advertisements. In May of this year, local residents reported the organization to multiple departments, but after the boss smoothed things over, the surrogacy organization continued its operations.
On the 8th, the Wuhan Health Commission issued a briefing stating that they had conducted inspections on-site, sealed the involved location, and detained 8 suspects, currently undergoing further investigation and evidence collection.
Following the release of the briefing, Guan Zhengyi further revealed that the “provincial-level authoritative hospital” was a renowned public tertiary hospital in the area — Hubei Maternal and Child Health Hospital.
Netizens expressed their views, saying “Every time a report is made, the grass is disturbed before the snake is caught, only small fries are apprehended.” and “Incidents like this should be umbrellaed by high-ranking officials and involve both the hats and the healthcare system.”
Last May, Guan Zhengyi also reported two underground surrogacy hideouts in Changsha to the Changsha Health Commission. He later received threatening calls, questioning how his phone number was leaked.