Taiwan Same-Sex Couple Faces Criticism After Welcoming Four Surrogate Babies

A same-sex couple from Taiwan has found themselves at the centre of online debate after announcing the birth of their four babies through surrogacy in Mexico. The couple, consisting of a space designer named Liu and his husband, Lin, married in 2022. Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage in 2019, becoming the first country in Asia to do so, reported South China Morning Post.

Lin explained that they had dreamed of having children ever since they married. They travelled to countries like Ukraine and Colombia in search of a suitable option, and finally found a surrogate in Mexico.

There are no specific federal regulations regarding surrogacy in Mexico, but it is legal in some regions, such as Tabasco and Sinaloa. According to Lin, they are completely new to parenting and described the birth of quadruplets as a "fourfold joy."

Many people congratulated the couple, while others found the situation uncomfortable. One critic accused the couple of "buying babies," calling it a selfish act and an abuse of a woman's womb.

Responding to the comments, the couple stated that all four children were conceived using a single egg donor and two surrogate mothers.

They also explained that they chose Mexico because they felt the surrogacy process there was "the most systematic and legal," and that lawyers supervised the entire process.

Their children have been issued birth certificates listing both fathers as parents, and passports and visas will be obtained with legal assistance in the future.

Surrogacy is banned in Taiwan, so children born through surrogacy abroad may face difficulties in obtaining paternity identification or domestic registration. The couple did not disclose the cost, but surrogacy in Mexico is estimated to cost between Rs 58,26,697 and Rs 62,74,905.