China will face its first legal challenge of a woman fighting for her reproductive rights after an unmarried Chinese woman filed a suit against a hospital on Monday for rejecting her request to freeze her eggs.
According to China, only married couples can use such health services, and they must be able to prove their marital status by showing a marriage license.
Teresa Xu, 31, visited the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hospital at Capital Medical University in November 2018, wanting to freeze her eggs while she focused on her career as a writer on gender issues.
A woman’s eggs deteriorate in quality as she ages, presenting obstacles to conception among older women. Through a medical procedure, a woman’s eggs can be removed from her ovaries and frozen for use at a later time.
Xu, said on her first visit to the hospital for a checkup, the doctor asked about her marital status and urged her to have a child now instead of freezing her eggs. – Reuters
