Hong Kong proposes axing 10-year storage limit for frozen eggs and embryos amid declining fertility in city
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong authorities have proposed scrapping a law that limits the storage duration for frozen eggs, sperm, and embryos to 10 years amid the city’s declining birth rate.
The Council on Human Reproductive Technology published on Wednesday a proposed amendment to the city’s reproductive laws on Thursday to “encourage childbearing at patients’ best reproductive age.”
Among the suggestions are the lifting of a rule that caps the maximum duration that frozen gametes and embryos can be stored at 10 years, or up until the patient is 55 years old if they have cancer or are infertile due to other illnesses.
The duration and age limits on storage of gametes and embryos “should be handled as a medical issue instead of a legal issue,” the council wrote.
Licensed centres are also to submit “more detailed data on storage of gametes or embryos,” such as marital status and age distribution of patients, to the government for “regulatory purposes.”
A consent form administered by reproductive technology centres will also see the initial period of gamete and embryo freezing increased from two to five years. The requirement for patients to sign a consent form every two years afterward for longer storage will remain, according to the proposal.
On Wednesday, the council launched a month-long consultation with licensed reproductive technology centres and other stakeholders on the proposed amendments.
The consultation period will end on April 13.
Declining fertility
Hong Kong has struggled with a declining birth rate in recent years, with childless couples on the rise and falling kindergarten enrolment.
According to survey results released by the Hong Kong Women Development Association last week, over 70 per cent of respondents said they did not want children.
The association surveyed more than 2,200 people in January and February. Among those who said they did not want children, more than 90 per cent cited financial considerations, while around 85 per cent said they wanted to have their own freedom.
Meanwhile, the median age of first-time mothers has also risen, from 29.4 in 2003 to 32.9 in 2023 – the latest year the information was available.
Lawmakers have urged the government to encourage residents to have children by offering more support for families.
Since October 2023, authorities have been giving married couples one-off HK$20,000 subsidies for each child they have, though academics have criticised the policy as ineffective in swaying the minds of those already set on remaining childless.
Since last year, the Hospital Authority has also been increasing the quota for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment at public hospitals.
During his budget address in February, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said residents receiving assisted reproductive services will enjoy a tax deduction of up to HK$17,000 in the coming financial year.
Under Hong Kong law, only heterosexual married couples can store their embryos. Gay and lesbian couples are excluded from reproductive technology services as the city does not recognise same-sex marriage.
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