Underage surrogacy under fire after 17-year-old girl gives birth to twins
Chinese authorities have launched an investigation following revelations that a 17-year-old girl from southwest China's Sichuan Province was exploited as a surrogate mother, giving birth to twins for a 50-year-old man in southern Guangdong Province.
Medical records reveal the girl, surnamed Ha, was just 16 years old when an embryo was implanted – a clear violation of Chinese laws prohibiting surrogacy and the exploitation of minors.
The case was exposed by anti-trafficking activist Shangguan Zhengyi, who published evidence on Weibo on Monday.
Documents include birth certificates from Xiaolan People's Hospital in Zhongshan, Guangdong, showing the twin boys were delivered on February 2, 2025, with the 50-year-old client, surnamed Long from Jiangxi Province, listed as the father.
According to his findings, Guangzhou Ayingbao Medical Consulting Co Ltd is allegedly involved in arranging illegal surrogacies.
A salesperson of the company claimed that the price of egg donors varied based on their educational background, with university graduates fetching around 100,000 yuan (US$13,770) and those with master's degrees commanding about 150,000 yuan, all of which could be verified through China's official education database.
The agreement provided by Shangguan Zhengyi.
The salesperson also provided a recent successful surrogacy case of the company, sending Shangguan a signed contract between the client, a 50-year-old man surnamed Long from southeastern Jiangxi Province, and Guangzhou Junlan Medical Equipment Co Ltd.
The agreement, worth 730,000 yuan, covered the entire surrogacy process. However, the final payment reportedly ballooned to over 900,000 yuan after the birth of twins.
The medical certificate of birth provided by Shangguan Zhengyi.
"Exploiting underage girls for surrogacy activities violates the law, ethics, and morality, and should be severely punished," Shangguan stated in his post.
The revelation has prompted swift action from multiple government authorities. The Women's Federation in Sichuan's Liangshan Prefecture has joined the investigation. Staff from the Xiaolan Town Government in Zhongshan City and the Guangzhou Health Commission have also confirmed that they are looking into the matter.
