An unmarried Chinese woman named Xu Zaozao recently announced that she lost her final court appeal for the right to freeze her eggs in China. This procedure is currently only available to married women in the country. Xu’s legal battle was closely monitored in a nation where women’s rights and the declining birthrate are significant concerns.
Xu, who is 36 years old, wanted to freeze her eggs to keep the option of having a child in the future if she couldn’t find a partner. Despite her efforts, the court rejected her appeal, upholding the original judgment. Xu shared her disappointment in a live video on WeChat but expressed her determination to continue fighting for this cause.
The issue arose in 2018 when Xu, then 30, was denied the opportunity to freeze her eggs by a Beijing hospital. The hospital claimed that the procedure was only for women who couldn’t conceive naturally, not for healthy patients like Xu. After a court dismissed her case in 2022, ruling that the hospital did not violate her rights, Xu filed an appeal the following year.
Although Xu’s legal battle did not end in her favor, she is pleased that it sparked a public discussion on the topic. She believes that public opinion is shifting towards supporting single women like herself, with legislative changes being proposed to help them. In China, the declining birthrate has become a significant issue, prompting the government to encourage citizens to have more children.
Many Chinese women are delaying marriage and childbirth due to economic reasons and societal pressure. Women around the world choose to freeze their eggs as a way to preserve their fertility for the future. This process involves extracting and preserving a woman’s eggs in liquid nitrogen for later use in pregnancy.
While some Chinese women opt to freeze their eggs in countries where it is allowed, like Xu mentioned, many do not have the financial resources to do so. Despite the outcome of her case, Xu remains hopeful that the landscape is changing for single women in China.
The importance of this case goes beyond Xu’s personal struggle; it sheds light on the challenges faced by single women in a society where marriage and motherhood are traditionally expected. As the conversation around women’s rights and fertility options continues to evolve, Xu’s story serves as a reminder of the ongoing battle for reproductive choices and equality in China.