New York Times: With Fertility Rate in China Low, Some Press to Legalize Births Outside Marriage
“…Last week, three civil society groups in the southern city of Guangzhou issued a report calling for greater reproductive freedom for single women to counter the country’s low fertility rate. The issue also affects lesbians, the groups said, because same-sex marriage is not permitted. … Chinese law states that citizens have the right to give birth, [Mary Chin, a law student who provided legal analysis for the report,] said. But they can only exercise that right within a complex system of national and local family planning regulations. Many provinces impose fines on people who have children outside marriage…” (Tatlow, 11/17).