Extending storage for women’s eggs ‘not aligned’ with goal to get Hongkongers to have kids early, leader John Lee says
Hong Kong Free Press
The government wants Hong Kong couples to “have children early” while they are still “in their prime,” Chief Executive John Lee has said in response to a lawmaker’s suggestion about improving the city’s egg freezing policy.
Lee introduced a series of initiatives to encourage Hongkongers to have more children in the second Policy Address of his term on Wednesday. The city has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, below Singapore, Japan and Taiwan.
The incentives, which came into effect on Wednesday, included a cash bonus of HK$20,000 for new parents, giving families with newborns priority for public housing, and tax deductions.
However, the new measures did not incorporate earlier suggestions from lawmakers, such as addressing the existing policy relating to egg freezing, and giving couples an allowance for various methods of assisted reproduction.
Nixie Lam, a pro-establishment lawmaker and a member of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment and Progress Hong Kong (DAB), has advocated for extending the maximum storage period of eggs to allow women more flexibility to choose when to give birth.
When asked why the government did not consider changing its policy when it came to egg freezing during a question and answer session on Thursday, Lee said extending the amount of time eggs may be frozen “was not aligned with” the government’s goal, which was to encourage couples “have children early. ”
“Everyone hopes that if they have children while they are in their prime, their babies will be stronger,” Lee said in Cantonese.
Currently, frozen eggs can be stored for up to 10 years in Hong Kong. Lam, who gave birth to a boy at the age of 41 after freezing her eggs, said the technology provided women with more options.
She told HK01 in August that if a woman chose to freeze her eggs at the age of 25, she would have to use them by the age of 35. Lam suggested that the maximum storage period should be extended to 30 years.
Many pro-establishment lawmakers said the government’s new initiatives would have a limited impact in boosting the city’s birth rate. Reacting to the Policy Address on Wednesday, Peter Shiu, a lawmaker and chair of the Liberal Party, said that authorities’ initiatives to boost birth rates were simply “small favours.”
“Those small favours probably won’t help middle-class families want to give birth,” Shiu said, adding that a cash bonus of HK$20,000 only covered a small part of the expenses required to raise a child in Hong Kong.
Eric Chan, chief secretary for administration, said on Thursday that the HK$ 20,000 handout should be seen as an encouragement, “like a red packet,” adding that it was hard to change people’s ideas about giving birth.
“People have different considerations [on having children]. Some like pets better than kids. It’s hard to change people, ” Chan said.
Low birth rate
Hong Kong has seen a declining birth rate over the past 10 years, with fewer babies born and women postponing the age of childbearing.
According to the Census and Statistics Department, the city’s general fertility rate, which relates the number of live births in a calendar year to the mid-year female population aged 15 to 49, has decreased since 2012.
In 2012, there were 36.4 live births per 1,000 women. The number declined to 23.4 in 2021.
Meanwhile, the fertility rate among women aged 20 to 24 decreased by 77 per cent in the past 30 years, while that of women aged 40 to 44 increased by 91 per cent.
According to a survey of 1,502 women who are married or living with their partner conducted by the Family Planning Association of Hong Kong between September and December last year, the average number of children per women was 0.91, down from 1.28 in 2017.
The figure was 3.3 in 1972, according to the association.
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.
HKFP Dim Sum is a weekly email summary of our best content sent every Saturday and Monday. Unsubscribe at any time. We will not share your details with third parties.