Reproductive Governance or Reproductive Justice: Single Chinese Women’s Access to Social Egg Freezing

• In Event: Reimagining Families: Singlehood, Childfree, and Chosen Families

Abstract

China is experiencing low fertility with an increasing aging population. Meanwhile, staying single is gaining popularity. However, social egg freezing is not legally accessible for single Chinese women. Although existing research has examined this topic in the Chinese context from a legal perspective, sparse literature exists from a queering reproductive justice lens. To address such a research gap, this study utilized feminist legal analysis and the queering reproductive justice framework to analyze all existing legal provisions concerning assisted reproductive technology in mainland China to investigate how legal ambiguities surrounding social egg freezing undermine single Chinese women’s reproductive justice. This study found that current legislation related to social egg freezing must be queered to grant single Chinese women access to social egg freezing. Otherwise, stratified reproduction will emerge and be amplified, and single Chinese women’s reproductive justice will be jeopardized. This study contributes to the application of the queering reproductive justice framework in the Chinese context and potential reproductive health policy transformations in mainland China.

Author

• Iris Pi, Georgia State University