Editor’s note: this article was translated and edited from news.suohoo.com and highlights the dangers of surrogacy in China. The article tells story of Xiao Xia, an unmarried woman who decided to become a surrogate mother to make some quick money. After being diagnosed with hepatitis, the other party involved stated that they didn’t want the child and told Xiao Xia to get an abortion. After being left on her own with no money and no help from authorities, Xiao Xia faced a predicament that would impact the rest of her life.

In order to earn some extra money, unmarried woman Xiao Xia (her alias) chose to become a surrogate mother. The other party involved in the deal agreed to pay Xiao Xia 160,000 RMB once the child was born; however, after being pregnant for four months, Xiao Xia was diagnosed with hepatitis, and the other party requested an abortion. They offered to pay Xiao Xia 20,000 RMB compensation, though Xiao Xia thought this was too little. Now eight months into the pregnancy, the would-be parents of the surrogate child have cut off all contact with Xiao Xia. 

Xiao Xia can be described as one of those positive, bubbly people who go through life with a smile on their face. However in light of recent events, her facial expression is one of gloom and despair. She is not only worried about the future of the child inside her, but also worried about her own future prospects. After agreeing to a surrogate pregnancy, the would-be parents now refuse to accept the child.

At the end of March, during a cool spring day in Hangzhou, Xiao Xia arrived for an interview wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a black jacket. The jacket was very loose, though due to her being in the later stages of pregnancy, she was unable to fully zip it up over her belly. She also wore tracksuit bottoms, sneakers, and a pair of socks embroidered with a cute cartoon rabbit. Regarding the issue of the child, Xiao Xia is unsure whether to keep it or not.

Promising beginnings

It was during an online conversation on August 28 2012 in Hangzhou that Xiao Xia decided to become a surrogate mother. “I needed money, and fast. I had previously read about surrogacy in China, and heard that within the space of a year, you could make at least 100,000 RMB. So I checked it out on the internet.” Xiao Xia soon found an online post about a family who were looking for such a thing. “When we spoke, they cut straight to the chase. They asked me how old I was, if I was healthy, if I was married, when my period came and if it was regular…I answered all their questions.” After finding that Xiao Xia was about to begin ovulation, she was told to head to the hospital straight away to get a medical examination. “They told me they would give me 160,000 RMB regardless of whether it was a boy or girl. I asked them if the medical procedures would hurt, and they told me no. They also left me their phone number, it was a Guangzhou number, but they told me to meet them in Hangzhou.”          

On August 29, Xiao Xia left Nanjing and got on a train to Hangzhou. “When I arrived in Hangzhou, the woman I met seemed pretty generous. She gave me money for my train ticket, and told me her name was Wang Ting (alias) and that she was 43 years old.” When Xiao Xia told the reporter her story, she spoke very fast and straightforward. When the reporter asked her why she was so desperate to get money so quickly, she flinched. She told us that in her hometown, she’d borrowed money from her father to open up a beauty salon, but the business failed. After losing over 100,000 RMB of her father’s money, he was incredibly angry and told her that she had to give it back to him fast. 

Smooth procedures

She arrived in Guangzhou for a health examination on September 3, 2012, and underwent the relevant medical procedures two days later after finding out that she had begun ovulating. Wang Ting paid for Xiao Xia’s flight to Guangzhou, and also put her up in a room, though the medical procedures were done at a nearby holiday resort. “It wasn’t even a hospital and the surgeon wasn’t wearing a white coat. The room was very dark and quiet, and the tools they used made a strange sound. I was a little afraid and wanted to get out, but couldn’t.”

After the operation was over, Xiao Xia got out of the resort after two hours and got on a bus back to the place where she had the examination. “On September 18, I found out I was pregnant. Wang Ting then gave me 10,000 RMB. On December 25, after I had been pregnant for several months, I did a gender examination and found out it was a girl.” Xiao Xia then took a soft sleeper train with Wang to Huzhou in Zhejiang Province—the home of Wang’s sister in-law. “They looked after me and made sure I was well-fed and had a place to stay. Wang Ting often phoned though only spoke about the child. She requested that I breast fed the baby for a year after it was born, though didn’t offer to pay me any more money.”     

Baby refused after hepatitis diagnosis

Xiao Xia received another batch of 10,000 RMB on February 11, 2013. It was soon after this, on February 16, that she was diagnosed with hepatitis. “The baby was going to be fine, but Wang Ting stated very firmly that she didn’t want the child, and wanted me to get an abortion.” The prospect of 160,000 RMB became 20,000 RMB, as Wang Ting only offered such an amount in the way of compensation. “Of course, I refused.” After this, Wang Ting’s sister soon let her feelings known to poor Xiao Xia. “She followed me around everywhere and swore at me all the time. As I’m a proud person, I couldn’t handle this type of treatment, and decided to stay in a hotel. The employees saw that I was heavily pregnant and I told them what had happened. They helped me find a lawyer.” After Wang Ting didn’t answer Xiao Xia’s calls, she decided to confront Wang’s sister in-law with the lawyer. However, upon arriving at the family home, her sister-in law pretended as though she didn’t know Xiao Xia.   

After spending all her money staying in the hotel, Xiao Xia decided to head back to Hangzhou to find Wang Ting on March 7. “I was hungry and alone. After finding the house that Wang was renting in Hangzhou’s Rainbow City Complex in the afternoon, I knocked on the door. There was no one home.” Despite the fact that she had checked in to the apartment only the day before, Wang Ting had already moved out. “She sent me a text the next day to say that she would give me another 5,000 RMB, which would bring the total to 25,000. However, she would only give me the money after I had the abortion.” During this period, Xiao Xia sought the help of other lawyers, the police, and even the Department of Health. Due to the fact that surrogacy is not protected by the law in China however, Xiao Xia couldn’t get any help.    

Uncertain future

Despite not wanting the child, Xiao Xia decided to go ahead with labor induction procedures. “The doctor said that the baby was too big, and that labor induction would be too dangerous. I was afraid to tell my father, so I ended up phoning my aunt.” After telling her teary aunt that she had been lying to her father by saying that she had been working all this time, Xiao Xia soon got a call from her mother who told her that the whole family now knew.

On March 28, Xiao Xia’s mother and aunt picked her up from Hangzhou and took her back to Nanjing. “As I’m not married, all the neighbors were bound to gossip, so my mother helped me rent out an apartment nearby, and came to visit me every other day.” Today, the issue of whether Xiao Xia would get her money or not is not important anymore. “I want to tell my story to the media, and let other women know that they should never choose the path of surrogacy for money. Although you might be able to make some quick cash, it’s not protected by law and therefore shouldn’t be considered as an option.”   

Sometime after the interview, Xia Xia called the journalist to say that she would go ahead and give birth to the child, despite not wanting it. Crying into the receiver, Xiao Xia said that that was the only option available to her given the circumstances. The journalist tried to call Wang Ting numerous times, but could not get through. However, the Provincial Health Department got hold of the story and have referred the case to the Guangzhou Health Department since the illegal operation took place there. Whether Wang Ting will face legal charges and what will happen to the unwanted child remains to be seen.

Source: News.suohoo.com
 

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