Zheng Shuang, 29, was one of China’s most popular actresses after shooting to fame a decade ago. Zhang Heng (30) was a talented producer for a variety show. In 2018, the pair were released to the public with a few selfies and have since lovingly appeared in the spotlight – even in a popular reality series.
Fans were shocked when Zhang took him to China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo earlier this month to claim he had been stranded in the United States for more than a year, left alone to ‘care for and protect two young and innocent lives’.
The couple allegedly divorced while two surrogate mothers they hired were pregnant with their children, and Zheng is accused of abandoning the babies.
It also published a recording of an alleged phone call, in which Zheng’s parents allegedly suggested abandoning the children or giving them up for adoption, while Zheng allegedly expressed frustration over the fact that abortion was not a viable option. not, as the mothers were 7 months pregnant at the time. .
The allegations shocked many in China, where family ties are usually precious, and sparked outrage on social media. It has also sparked debate about surrogacy in a country that officially opposes the practice, yet has a thriving underground market for it.
Firestorm of criticism
The scandal exploded on Weibo following Zhang’s message, with the accompanying hashtag picking up more than 3 billion views and drawing a shower of criticism against Zheng. And the setback was not limited to the online sphere.
Within days, Zheng was censored by state media and condemned by China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP) agencies. “Surrogacy is clearly forbidden in our country, and its disregard for life makes one brush with anger,” broadcaster CCTV said in a comment.
The CCP’s top commission, which oversees political and legal affairs, accused Zheng of “exploiting legal loopholes” by seeking surrogate mothers in the US and calling her actions “certainly not law-abiding”. “In China, surrogacy is banned as it uses female uterus as a tool and sells life as a commercial product,” the commission wrote.
Zheng has been abandoned by several international brands, including the luxury fashion label Prada.
On the firestorm, Zheng wrote on Weibo on Tuesday that “this is a very sad and private matter for me.” She did not directly address the allegations about the surrogate dispute, but said she “did not violate the state’s mandate while on Chinese soil and that she respects all laws and regulations abroad.”
Technically, Zheng was right.
While surrogacy has long been at the crossroads of the Chinese government, which is seen as a threat to its strict population control policy, the country’s national legislature has never passed legislation that explicitly prohibits it.
In 2001, the Ministry of Health issued a set of regulations on assisted reproductive technology, prohibiting medical institutions and health professionals from ‘practicing any form of surrogate technology’. The trade in sperm, eggs, zygotes and embryos is also strictly forbidden. Medical institutions could face fines of up to 30,000 yuan ($ 4,632) according to the rules for transgressions.
But the document did not prohibit individuals or agencies from employing or rendering surrogate services, or naming any according to punishment. The legal limbo has led to a growing underground local surrogate industry, driven by high demand, while other Chinese couples go abroad for surrogate services.
The US, where commercial surrogacy is allowed for foreigners in some states, has become an excellent choice for the wealthy Chinese elite, thanks to the mature industry and high security standards. A child born in the US will also have US citizenship – a bonus for some Chinese parents.
A direct ban?
Debates over the ethical issues of surrogacy took place around the world, with opponents warning that the practice could lead to the exploitation and trafficking of women, the commodification of the female body and children, and the deepening of inequality between rich and poor. arm.
But the stern official condemnation of Zheng’s actions comes from a government that has been criticized for decades for using forced abortion and sterilization to limit the number of children in each family. While China’s one-child policy was relaxed in 2016 – allowing couples to have two children – the country now has a declining birth rate and a rapidly aging society, which means it urgently needs more newborns to prevent a looming population crisis.
The Chinese government has resorted to a spate of policies to encourage young people to marry and have children – to very limited success. However, it still prohibits the commercial use of many reproductive technologies, such as egg freezing, which will give women the freedom to have children later in life.
Surrogacy, coupled with other forms of reproductive assistant technology, provides infertile couples with an opportunity to have biological offspring. According to a 2009 survey by the Chinese Population Association, 12.5% of Chinese were of childbearing age – or 40 million people – infertile. There are also claims for surrogacy from a large pool of older couples who have lost their only child, or who just want a second, as well as a growing number of LGBT couples.
While Chinese health authorities and other government agencies have launched periodic crackdowns, including a joint campaign in 2015 by a dozen state departments over surrogate services, it was to no avail.
This has led some experts to suggest that Beijing legalize the practice at home, to provide more protection to surrogate mothers and to address the growing demand of infertile couples and older parents in the wake of the one-child policy relaxation . But many oppose the idea and demand that surrogacy be banned, citing a myriad of ethical issues.
Yuan Xiaolu, a Chinese lawyer, told state news agency Xinhua that the “lost cost” of violating regulations is a major reason for the underground market to survive the crisis.
A lack of regulation in the industry also means that surrogate mothers and babies have little protection.
Last week, state-run news website The Paper reported that a couple had canceled an agreement with a surrogate in southwest China when she discovered she had syphilis during her pregnancy. The surrogate mother eventually raised the child herself, but was unable to register her three years later, as she sold the child’s birth certificate on the black market to pay her hospital bills after having a C-section.
End of a career?
Following Zheng’s controversy, China has once again called for a complete ban on all forms of surrogacy. Some analysts believe that this will simply drive the practice further underground, as demand is likely to only increase in the future.
Whether the government will respond with another round of reactions, or propose legislation to explicitly ban the practice, remains to be seen.
But what seems certain is that Zheng’s career as an A-list actress has taken a hit. While the public outrage over Chinese social media was mainly directed at her seemingly immortal instincts, and allegedly left her estranged partner alone and unable to return home with two American-born children due to the pandemic, it was clear that the state had taken a greater liaison with her. to circumvent his rules on surrogacy.
On Wednesday night, China’s national radio and television administration commented on Zheng’s scandal. “(She) circumvented the law to seek surrogacy abroad, and then wanted to abandon (her babies) because actors like her do not have a personal virtue,” the commenter said.
“We will not give the chance and platform to celebrities involved in such scandals to appear in public.”
