Teresa Xu, a Chinese woman living in the country’s capital Beijing has found herself at the receiving end of a court decision which does not allow her to freeze her eggs.
Reportedly, the Chaoyang Intermediate People’s Court in Beijing ruled that Teresa, being an unmarried woman can not freeze her eggs. Moreover, the hospital and hospital authorities that denied her the procedure did not violate any of the women’s rights.
“I think this lost lawsuit, it’s not an attack on single women’s reproductive rights, maybe it’s a temporary setback.” said Teresa after the decision.
The case was first filed by Teresa three years ago when she had gone to a public hospital named Beijing obstetrics and gynaecology hospital at Capital Medical University.
30 at the time, Teresa went to inquire about the process as she was unmarried and wanted to preserve her eggs and have an option to fall back on in the future.
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However, after she passed the preliminary examination, the doctor told Teresa that she could not proceed further. Reportedly, she could not furnish a marriage certificate and was thus denied the process.
The Doctor also told her that the process was only open for those women who could not conceive without intervention. Instead, Teresa told the court that she was urged by the doctor to have a child while she was still young.
It is pertinent to note that in China, unmarried individuals are not explicitly banned from availing different fertility treatment services. ‘Husband and wife’ can have up to three children, is what is written in the law, leaving room for ambiguity.
However, the ground reality is different. The authorities, which includes the Hospitals, turn down unmarried people who cannot provide a marriage license while attempting to avail such services. Teresa has stated that she plans to appeal against the ruling.
(With inputs from agencies)
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