Gao Shenjie, Liu Guanhe
School of Urban Governance and Public Affairs, Suzhou City University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215104, China.
Law School, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241000, China.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2025 Aug 26;29(8):69-78. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2025/v29i8.7.
This study analyzed the legal obstacles on the access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) by single women in mainland China, focusing on the period from 2001 to 2024, and reassessed the Chinese regulatory framework. The study employed legal text data sourced from the PKU Law database, and the case data from the China Judgments Online. Results revealed that the Chinese prevailing legislative framework prohibits single women to use ART and the courts oppose egg freezing for this group too, which creating regulatory obstacles to their reproductive rights. The study finds that the traditional concept of marriage, in which fertility is linked to marriage, and the long-standing family planning policy are at the root of China's ban on single women using ART. Prohibition-type provisions in China are challenging to adapt to changing socio-economic and technological environments and public attitudes, and should be updated to reflect global practices and legislation..
本研究分析了中国大陆单身女性在获取辅助生殖技术（ART）方面的法律障碍，重点关注2001年至2024年期间，并重新评估了中国的监管框架。该研究采用了来自北大法宝数据库的法律文本数据以及中国裁判文书网的案例数据。结果显示，中国现行立法框架禁止单身女性使用辅助生殖技术，法院也反对为这一群体进行卵子冷冻，这对她们的生殖权利造成了监管障碍。研究发现，传统的婚姻观念（其中生育与婚姻相联系）以及长期实行的计划生育政策是中国禁止单身女性使用辅助生殖技术的根源。中国的禁止性规定难以适应不断变化的社会经济、技术环境和公众态度，应进行更新以反映全球实践和立法情况。
