Taiwan plans to expand women's access to assisted reproduction

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's government proposed on Thursday to expand assisted reproduction access to single women and married same-sex female couples, as the democratic island faces a shrinking, aging population.

Only married heterosexual couples in Taiwan currently have access to procedures such as in-vitro fertilisation under the Assisted Reproduction Act.

The Cabinet approved amendments to the law that "are based on the fundamental principle of respecting women's reproductive autonomy", Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said in a statement.

The amendments, which require the opposition-controlled parliament's approval to take effect, will ensure that "every family can develop equally under legal protection", she said.

Human rights activist Chien Chih-chieh said the proposal was a "pragmatic approach moving towards sexual orientation equality and the principle of decoupling marriage and childbearing".

It "can break down the stigma associated with divorce and single-parent families", said Chien, of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights.

"As long as a family can provide a good upbringing for the child, it is a good family for the child. Assisted reproductive technology should not be limited to heterosexual marriages."

Taiwan is one of Asia's most liberal societies and became the region's first to legalise same-sex marriages in 2019.

The island of more than 23 million people faces a looming demographic challenge.

Taiwan is on the cusp of becoming a super-aged society, defined as 20 percent of the population aged 65 or over, driven by a falling number of newborns.