Gov’t to have discussions on having children out of wedlock

The South Korean government will hold discussions on having a child out of wedlock as Japanese television personality Sayuri Fujita did.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family announced its fourth masterplan for healthy families on Tuesday and said it will discuss legal and ethical issues of giving birth to a child out of wedlock. The ministry will conduct a public opinion survey on the issue in the first half of the year and gather opinions through a meeting of relevant organizations and experts.

Japanese television personality Sayuri Fujita gave birth to a baby boy in November last year through a sperm donation in Japan. Women wishing to give birth to a child out of wedlock seek the help of assisted reproductive technology. The government is planning to officially look into problems that can come up in the process.

The scheduled public opinion survey will examine public perception of egg and sperm donation, and surrogacy. In addition to the public opinion survey, the ministry is planning to conduct study on the legal status of a sperm donor and the child’s right to know that he or she was born from a sperm or egg donation.

Gender Equality and Family Minister Chung Young-ai said there is no law prohibiting non-married people from receiving assisted reproductive technology in Korea but further discussions are necessary as there is no sperm bank in Korea and those who wish to have a baby through a sperm donation cannot get the help of assisted reproductive technology in Korea according to the ethical guidelines of the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Minister Chung said she will make every effort to ensure that all families, including unmarried single mothers benefit from policy support. According to a survey on family diversity conducted by the ministry last year, 48.3 percent of respondents said it was okay to have children without getting married.


asap@donga.com