At a young age, a post-2000 generation girl from mainland China was lured into the illegal surrogacy industry and her experience of miscarrying after being pregnant for five months quickly went viral on social media, sparking attention and discussion. In less than a week, the story has accumulated over 130 million views and tens of thousands of comments on Weibo, the popular Chinese microblogging platform.
Last week, “Phoenix Weekly” reported a story centered around surrogacy. 22-year-old Zhang Jing, due to her meager income from working, came into contact with an intermediary who falsely advertised as recruiting volunteers for drug trials but in reality engaged in selling sperm and egg for surrogacy. In 2022, she agreed with the intermediary to “donate eggs” for a fee of 25,000 yuan.
According to the report, the experience of earning money by selling eggs made Zhang Jing feel that “her body parts were priced.” Some time later, due to financial difficulties, she contacted the intermediary again and decided to rent out her womb for conception with a fee of 30,000 yuan.
As per the intermediary, if she successfully gave birth, she would receive a total of 240,000 yuan in compensation.
However, when Zhang Jing was five months pregnant, she had to undergo an abortion surgery due to severe complications. “If surrogacy is likened to gambling, Zhang Jing knew she had lost,” wrote “Phoenix Weekly.”
“Caixin Weekly” previously reported that the underground surrogacy industry in China has already grown to a considerable scale. A practitioner revealed that there are over 100 companies providing surrogacy services in just his city, with nearly 10 major ones. Based on this estimation, there could be around “1,000 companies nationwide offering surrogacy services.”
Zhang Jing’s story, in less than a week of being made public, has garnered over 130 million views and tens of thousands of comments on Weibo, leading to the trending hashtag “#Post-00 Surrogate Miscarriage Girl Speaking Out.”
The vast majority of comments strongly oppose surrogacy, stating that a woman’s uterus is not a commodity. Some have issued warnings that legalizing surrogacy in China may lead to intensified competition in the surrogacy industry, resulting in reduced compensation for surrogates and further devaluation of the worth of women.
A user wrote, “If surrogacy is legalized, no woman can escape this fate.” Another comment stated, “Legalizing surrogacy will lower prices and commodify women.”
Zhang Jing’s experience has also sparked calls from netizens for authorities to crackdown strictly on illegal surrogacy. Some commentators warned that allowing the black market to continue operating could lead to the normalization of organ trafficking.
One netizen wrote, “Life should not be traded as a commodity.” “If illegal surrogacy extends to organ trade, the problem will become more serious, and women will have no future,” another commenter remarked.
A few weeks ago, Weibo influencer on anti-child trafficking issues, Shangguanzhengyi, disclosed that a 28-year-old surrogate in Chengdu was abandoned by the surrogacy agency after getting pregnant. Now, this woman is seeking help after being blacklisted by the surrogacy agency.
Although the Chinese Communist government prohibits surrogacy and claims to crack down severely on illegal practices, including the buying and selling of sperm, eggs, and surrogacy services, a report by the Chinese Communist Party’s official media Xinhua News Agency revealed that the domestic underground “surrogacy black market in China is thriving abnormally,” with the industry chain developing into an “all-in-one” service with various “package services.”
Ethical discussions surrounding surrogacy have never ceased.
The exposure of Zhang Jing’s surrogacy incident comes at a time when the Chinese authorities are trying to increase the birth rate. More and more young couples in mainland China are choosing to delay or forgo having children.
In 2023, the total population of China decreased sharply for the second consecutive year. The Chinese Communist Party convened local government meetings last month, urging regions to allocate resources to address the population crisis.