Taiwan

Taiwan (Republic of China) Information Region Asia Population 22911000 GDP (millions USD) 383,307 National Policies Eggs for assisted reproduction commercial prohibited Eggs for research commercial prohibited Inheritable genetic modification ? Preimplantation genetic diagnosis ? Reproductive cloning PROHIBITED Research cloning PROHIBITED Sex selection Social uses prohibited Surrogacy PROHIBITED International Agreements 1997 COE Biomedicine Convention not signed 1998 COE Cloning Convention not signed 2005 UN Cloning Vote n/a 2005 UNESCO Sports Doping Convention not ratified 2007 Treaty of Lisbon not signed

Key laws and policies

• Artificial Reproduction Act 2007, available at http://www.hpa.gov.tw/English/file/ContentFile/200901191011149200/Artificial%20Reproduction%20Act.pdf, (accessed 23 February 2015)

Prohibited practices

Assisted Reproduction

• The law specifically excludes single people, homosexuals, and non-traditional arrangements.
• The following acts are prohibited:
  • Using reproductive cells or embryos provided exclusively for research purposes
  • Creating a human embryo other than by fertilization
  • Selection of the embryo's sex. This restriction shall not apply, however, when there is a reason connected with hereditary disease.
  • Mutual donation of sperm and oocytes
  • Using an embryo cultured in vitro for more than seven days
  • Implantation of more than five embryos at a time
  • Use of mixed semen
  • Use of donated reproductive cells imported from outside the country

Surrogacy

• Surrogacy is prohibited.

Research Cloning

• Research cloning is prohibited by a general prohibition on the production of embryos specifically for research.

Permitted and regulated practices

Assisted Reproduction

• Marriage is required to receive fertility treatments.
• Couples using assisted reproduction must sign an agreement beforehand stating that should one die or if they divorce, the eggs or sperm collected will be destroyed.

Gamete Donation

• Donors can be known or anonymous.
• At a minimum, information about the donor's name, address, national ID card number or passport number, date of birth, height, body weight, blood type, skin color, hair color, and ethnicity will be collected.
• When the child reaches adulthood and is to marry, the child will be able to request that the Bureau of Health Promotion (BHP) check the records against the proposed spouse to make sure the couple is not close relatives.
• An individual’s eggs or sperm must be used to produce only one child, and are destroyed after successful delivery of a child conceived of that individual’s donation.
• Sperm and ovum donors agree to donate without compensation (Art. 8).