A village in central China has become the focus of national attention following the exposure of an illegal surrogacy operation that exploited disabled women as surrogate mothers, sparking widespread condemnation and prompting an official investigation.
The disturbing case came to light on May 12, when anti-trafficking activist Shangguan Zhengyi, who has a significant social media following of over 424,000 people, uncovered the operation. He had been monitoring a suspicious residential property in Changsha, Hunan province, for several days before alerting the authorities.
Following his tip-off, local police raided the premises and discovered a makeshift medical facility housed within a three-storey residential building. Inside, they found 16 hospital beds arranged for fertility-related procedures. The raid led to the rescue of nine women, including surrogate mothers and egg donors.
Among those rescued was a 41-year-old deaf woman from Shaanxi province, who communicated using sign language. She revealed that she had undergone an embryo transfer and received a payment of 280,000 yuan (approximately US$39,000). The woman said she had been brought to the facility by intermediaries but could not recall how long she had been there.
Another woman, a 29-year-old from the Yi ethnic minority in Sichuan province, said she also underwent an embryo transfer, receiving 190,000 yuan (US$26,000) for the procedure. She reported that the transfer had been conducted without anaesthesia but claimed she did not experience pain.
The building itself was equipped to carry out a full range of illegal surrogacy procedures. The first floor served as the operational core, containing an operating theatre, a laboratory, and patient recovery rooms. Authorities found shelves stocked with medical supplies such as syringes and specialized equipment for egg retrieval and embryo transfers. To conceal the illicit activities, all windows were covered in opaque blue film. An unlicensed white van, believed to have been used to transport the women, was found parked outside.
The rescued women were taken to Changsha Women and Children Health Care Hospital for medical examinations before being transferred to the custody of government authorities and their families.
While China currently lacks a comprehensive law that explicitly bans surrogacy, the practice is strictly restricted under various governmental regulations. Following the discovery, local health officials confirmed that the facility had been shut down, involved personnel detained, and the case was being pursued under the full force of the law.
Authorities reported that 18 individuals linked to the illegal surrogacy ring had been taken into custody. Among those arrested were the operation’s organizer, an anaesthesiologist, and a nurse from a private hospital.
Shortly after the bust, Shangguan received a phone call from a man claiming to be the head of the operation, who offered to comply with any of his demands in an attempt to make amends. Shangguan firmly rejected the offer, responding with indignation: “How dare you exploit disabled people? Do you have any humanity left?”
News of the incident, first reported by Elephant News, has ignited a firestorm of criticism across Chinese social media. One commenter wrote, “Even disabled individuals were involved. This is completely beyond the boundaries of morality.” Another demanded accountability, asking, “Is there a flow of illicit benefits behind this? The big boss must be thoroughly investigated and severely punished.”
The case continues to develop, drawing attention to the darker corners of the unregulated fertility industry and sparking broader conversations about ethics, legality, and the protection of vulnerable individuals in China. — The Star
Image— Stock photo
