Chinese legal response to the shared motherhood model in lesbians’ family-making

Despite the non-recognition of same-sex relationships or marriage by the law, lesbian motherhood has become an emerging socio-legal issue in China. To fulfil their desires to reproduce and make a family, some Chinese lesbian couples adopt a `shared motherhood model' where one lesbian contributes an egg while her partner becomes pregnant through embryo transfer following artificial insemination with a donor's sperm. Because the shared motherhood model intentionally divides the roles of biological mother and gestational mother between lesbian couples, this has allowed legal controversies to emerge associated with the parenthood of the conceived child as well as custody, support of, and visitation of the child. There are two pending judicial cases involving a shared motherhood arrangement reported in the country. The courts have appeared reluctant to rule on them because Chinese law has not provided clear legal solutions to these controversial issues. They are highly cautious about delivering a decision not in line with the current legal position of non-recognition of same-sex marriage. Given little literature discussing Chinese legal responses to the shared motherhood model, this article aims to fill the gap by investigating the basis of parenthood under Chinese law and analysing the parentage issue concerning the different types of relationships between lesbians and children born of a shared motherhood arrangement.