Demographic crisis: Hong Kong “extends” storage of frozen embryos

With a decree that the Legislative Council will be called upon to ratify, the authorities have decided to remove the 10-year limit on the storage of eggs and gametes from couples for assisted reproduction. The aim is to “better achieve reproductive autonomy”. But the causes of the decline in births are much deeper.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - In response to the declining birth rate, Hong Kong is preparing to repeal a law that limited the storage of frozen eggs, sperm and embryos to 10 years. The legislative changes announced by the local government in a statement aim to ‘allow citizens to make their own decisions on the duration of storage based on their health and other factors, with the aim of better achieving reproductive autonomy’.

Hong Kong law only allows married heterosexual couples to store embryos. Until now, it provided for a maximum storage period of 10 years, or until the patient reached the age of 55, if the latter had become infertile as a result of medical treatment.

The proposal, already published in the Official Gazette, will come into force on 1 December, subject to approval by the Legislative Council. With the new amendments, the Human Reproductive Technology Council will also introduce measures requiring mandatory counselling for people who have stored gametes or embryos for more than five years before they can extend the storage period.

In recent years, Hong Kong has experienced a decline in birth rates, with an increase in childless couples and a decline in nursery school enrolment. The average age of mothers at the birth of their first child has risen from 29.4 years in 2003 to 32.9 years in 2023.

The demographic decline is heavily influenced by the exodus of young couples who left Hong Kong after the 2020 political crackdown, which severely restricted freedoms and left them with little hope for the future. But changing social attitudes also play a role: 70% of couples surveyed in a recent poll said they did not want children.

Since October 2023, the authorities have been offering a one-off incentive of 20,000 Hong Kong dollars (just under 2,200 euros, ed.) for each child born to a married couple, but academics have criticised the measure, calling it ineffective in convincing those who have already decided not to have children.

Tax cuts and priority in the allocation of public housing are among the other incentives put in place by the government to try to increase the city's birth rate.