Demand from Chinese parents has led to the thriving US ‘rent-a-womb’ industry, says researcher.

The “rent-a-womb” industry pipelines children born of surrogates in the United States⁣ to parents in China, a⁣ researcher said.‌ Babies born this way automatically ​gain ⁢U.S. birthright citizenship.

According to‌ Emma Waters, ⁣a research associate for the Center for Life, Religion, and Family ⁤at The Heritage Foundation, the Chinese “rent-a-womb” ⁤industry ‍has⁤ been booming in the‍ United ⁣States ⁤for‌ about⁣ a decade, particularly in⁢ California. The state’s permissive​ laws on commercial surrogacy and ⁣in-vitro fertilization (IVF) have made it an attractive ⁢destination for Chinese couples⁤ seeking these services.

Surrogacy is completely banned in China, so Chinese couples turn to American fertility clinics to create embryos with their biological ⁢makeup and have the baby in the United‍ States. This is made​ possible by the birthright⁤ citizenship laws, which grant the child full U.S. citizenship, regardless ​of ​their ‍Chinese nationality.

Emma Waters explained‌ in⁣ an interview‌ on Epoch‌ TV’s “Crossroads” program that when the child turns 21, even‍ the parents⁤ can⁢ apply for a​ green card and eventually obtain citizenship, which⁣ is a faster and cheaper process compared to traditional methods.

Threat to⁣ National Security

Emma⁢ Waters emphasized that granting foreign nationals access to ⁤American‍ citizenship through American women poses a significant national security threat. These⁣ children, who have been raised ⁢in China and are‌ loyal to their homeland, are not flagged as foreign​ nationals when they apply for jobs or work in research ⁢labs in the United States.

Ms. Waters‌ highlighted the lack of a publicly available database listing these children, making it difficult for employers to ⁣know their background. She​ called for ⁢the House Select Committee ‍on the Chinese Communist​ Party⁣ to investigate ‍Chinese investment in ⁢Americans through Chinese children created in America via IVF and commercial surrogacy.

How Fertility Industry Works

Chinese nationals have the⁣ option to create an embryo using their own sperm and egg ‌or purchase a sperm or egg when they ​connect with a fertility clinic, particularly in California. They can even create ‌an embryo without ⁤leaving China‌ by​ working⁢ with‌ a⁣ U.S.-based⁢ agency⁤ to send their reproductive‍ material to an ⁣IVF lab and​ implant it in ‌a hired surrogate ⁣in the ‌United States. Many fertility‌ clinics in​ California have direct or indirect⁣ connections to China, offering Chinese⁣ language options and employing doctors or administrators who have lived in China.

According ‍to Ms. Waters,‌ some fertility clinics have reported that up to 50 percent⁤ of ⁤their clients in a given year are from China alone. Chinese nationals have expressed the desire to have a child with dual U.S. and Chinese citizenship to have ‌the option of ⁣choosing which country to live in the future.

The U.S. market for fertility clinic ​services was estimated at nearly $8 ⁤billion in 2022‍ and is expected to ‍more than‍ double‍ by⁢ the end of 2028.

Changing‌ Essence of Childbearing

Emma Waters ‌pointed out that the way childbearing is viewed in the United States started changing after the Supreme Court’s ruling in⁣ the Roe⁢ v. Wade case in⁢ 1973, which legalized abortion nationwide.‌ Children became an option‌ that parents ⁢could choose to have⁣ or not,⁤ rather than a natural outcome of marriage or sexual intercourse.