During the 2026 National Two Sessions, discussions on supporting single women to have children have become the focus. Meng Man, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, bluntly said that "society should strongly support single women giving birth." Shenzhen's initiative to become a "pilot city for the preservation of single women's fertility" has further pushed this issue to the forefront of policy discussions. Behind these voices, they reflect the complex tension between the demographic structural challenges facing our country and individual reproductive rights.
At present, the most direct obstacle faced by single women in realizing their willingness to have children in China is policy barriers.
,.The "Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Specifications" promulgated in 2003 clearly prohibits the implementation of human assisted reproductive technology on single women, which prevents many women who wish to do so from receiving help through formal medical channels.
.He Dan, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the China Population and Development Research Center, pointed out that my country's low fertility rate and low birthrate are characterized by long-term and universal, and factors such as urbanization and the popularization of higher education have exerted structural pressure on fertility levels. At the same time, Xie Wenmin, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also emphasized that high costs such as education, housing, and medical care have made it a common concern to "not be able to afford and raise children well", while factors such as the extension of education years have objectively reduced the effective childbearing period for women.
It is precisely under such practical challenges that the importance of assisted reproductive technology becomes increasingly apparent. This has also led more and more people to look towards countries and regions with more relaxed policies.
Faced with the domestic policy environment, explorations at different levels are underway:
Promotion of technical support Within the scope permitted by the policy, medical support for assisted reproductive technology is gradually improving.
▶ Advancement in technical support measures

,.At present, many provinces across the country have included some assisted reproduction projects in medical insurance, benefiting more than 1 million people in total. However, these included projects only account for about one-third of the entire process cost, and fertility preservation costs such as "frozen eggs", which single women are particularly concerned about, still have to be fully paid for by themselves.
▶Legal pathways overseas

Under the current policy framework, some single women with appropriate conditions have turned their attention to overseas destinations where such activities are legally permitted. This has become a reality. Countriesthat currently explicitly allow single women to legally give birth through assisted reproductive technologyinclude:
·United States:Some states have the most open laws and mature technologies, but the costs are higher.
·Thailand:The technology is mature, the policies are relatively relaxed, and the cost-performance ratio is excellent.
·Georgia:It is permitted by law, the process is standardized, and the costs are moderate.
·Kyrgyzstan:The new regulations for the year 2025 clearly allow this practice.
In addition, European countries such as Spain and Greece also offer legal options.
The discussion of supporting single women's childbearing is essentially a respect for individual reproductive autonomy and a tap into social potential in the context of low fertility.
,,.The current realistic choice from local pilot initiatives to overseas paths reflects the gap between social needs and policy supply.
,.This is not only related to individual rights, but also related to how to provide more possibilities for the reasonable reproductive needs of different groups under the new normal of population development. No matter which path you choose, respect for life autonomy should be an important yardstick of social progress.