[Non-Marriage Era] Jang Hye-young "Non-Marital Childbirth Should Be Seen as Women's Rights, Not a Low Birthrate Measure"

(19) Jang Hye-young Proposes 'Three Laws on Family Composition Rights'
"Diverse Single-Parent Families Exist, Discrimination Must Be Eliminated"
"The Trend Is Single-Person Households... Political Change Is a Matter of Time"

Editor's NoteIn a world where marriage is not mandatory, encountering those who choose to remain single is no longer an unfamiliar experience. Who chooses to remain single, and why? The issue is not only society's biased views surrounding singlehood. There also exists a vague admiration towards it. We examine the pros and cons of the so-called 'single life.'

"In Korea, institutional support must be provided so that single women can achieve the type of pregnancy and childbirth they desire."

Jang Hye-young, a Justice Party lawmaker who introduced a bill to amend the Maternal and Child Health Act (Single Birth Support Act) to support assisted reproductive technology for single women, said this in an interview with Asia Economy held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the 10th.

Public interest in single childbirth is growing. From famous celebrities to same-sex couples, news about pregnancy and childbirth among single individuals attracts attention.

Following the revelation in 2020 that Sayuri Fujita, a Japanese-born broadcaster, gave birth through sperm donation while single, recently, Kim Gyu-jin, who officially married her female partner in New York, USA, made headlines by announcing her pregnancy.

They each received sperm donations from Japan and Belgium, respectively. In Korea, it is practically impossible for single women to receive sperm donations for pregnancy and childbirth. This is because the ethical guidelines of the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology restrict assisted reproductive technology to legally married or de facto married couples only.

Lawmaker Jang says that single childbirth should be viewed not from the perspective of national population policy but from the perspective of family composition rights and individual women's reproductive rights. She points out that various family forms already exist in society beyond the so-called 'normal family.'

Jang predicted, "Perceptions of singlehood have already changed significantly, and accordingly, the political sphere cannot help but change as well."

Interview_Jang Hye-young, Justice Party Member. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The following is a Q&A with Lawmaker Jang.

- What do you mean when you say the Single Birth Support Act should be approached from a human rights perspective rather than as a solution to the low birthrate problem?

▲There seem to be two perspectives regarding pregnancy and childbirth. The first is from the national population policy standpoint. Korea used to implement birth control policies in the past. But now, because low birthrate is a problem, the government encourages having more children. This is based on the needs of the state rather than individual lives or happiness. There have been human rights violations when the state controls population, such as forcing abortions or sterilizing disabled people to prevent their birth. The second perspective respects family composition rights and women's reproductive rights, and the Single Birth Support Act was prepared to supplement these rights. Currently, the basis for state support related to single childbirth is limited to 'infertile couples.' Women who are not part of a couple are basically excluded. The Single Birth Support Act aims to improve this. My perspective is not to solve the low birthrate from the state's viewpoint but to better support family composition rights and reproductive rights from the individual woman's perspective.

- Those opposing single childbirth express concerns about whether children born into single-parent families can grow up well.

▲It is meaningful to socially worry about discrimination against children growing up in single-parent families. However, arguing that single-parent families should be reduced because of this is a completely misguided discussion. Various single-parent families already exist in the world. I believe it is a much more progressive direction to discuss how to eliminate discrimination faced by existing single-parent families.

Interview_Jang Hye-young, Justice Party Member. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

- Recently, news about Kim Gyu-jin, who has a female partner, successfully becoming pregnant through sperm donation from Belgium has attracted attention.

▲Because the system in Korea is not sufficiently developed, I heard that she became pregnant by receiving sperm donation from Belgium. First, I congratulate her on being able to conceive, and I hope she gives birth to a healthy child. I hope the system in Korea will soon be improved so that pregnancy and childbirth can be done in this way if desired. Since there are families of single women and parents and children through single childbirth, it is important to eliminate discrimination against them.

- If the Single Birth Support Act passes, can the ethical guidelines of the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which limit assisted reproductive technology to couples (including de facto couples), also be improved?

▲It will inevitably change. Single childbirth is not illegal now, but it is interpreted based on the regulation of 'infertile couples' in the Maternal and Child Health Act. If it is amended to say 'anyone can receive state support,' that issue will be resolved. However, even if this part changes, there are still many areas requiring institutional improvement, such as sperm donation.

- It seems that not only single childbirth but also the perception of singlehood itself is still cold.

▲Various social surveys conducted in Korea show that public perception of singlehood is gradually improving and becoming very inclusive. A representative example is the 'Public Opinion Survey on Family Diversity' conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in 2019. In that survey, 67.5% agreed that families should be recognized if they share livelihood and residence regardless of marriage or blood relation. More than 75% agreed that the term 'illegitimate child' in civil law should be abolished. People already know that various families exist around them. The trend is toward single-person households, but if you think about whether those single-person households really live alone, the answer is no. The reality we know is that they live with someone. Seeing the increase in single-person households, I think it is only a matter of time. Even if it is not the form I proposed, the political sphere will inevitably have to address this issue in the future.

- Along with the Single Birth Support Act, you simultaneously proposed the 'Life Partner Act' and the 'Marriage Equality Act' as the 'Three Laws on Family Composition Rights.'

▲We could have introduced each bill sequentially, but I thought the value of family composition rights shared by these three laws was meaningful. Until now, for Koreans, family was something given and something to endure whether they liked it or not. Now, family should be viewed from the perspective that it centers on individual happiness and can be actively composed. The three bills share that value.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.