On Thursday, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Liu Chin-Ching (劉鏡清) was invited to a meeting hosted by the Legislature’s Economics Committee. He informed government officials that he intends to propose a new bill expanding access to artificial insemination.
Liu attended the meeting along with representatives from the Health Ministry, the Education Ministry, and the Labor Ministry to report on the current situation regarding Taiwan’s low birth rate and the efficacy of countermeasures, in addition to Taiwan’s talent attraction and retention policies.
Liu pointed out that Taiwan’s marriage rate is low and women are postponing childbearing until a later age. Those who want to have children but experience infertility have access to government subsidies that support fertility treatment and egg-freezing. Responding to questions from KMT Legislator Chang Chia-chun (張嘉郡), Liu revealed his intent to propose a new bill that will allow unmarried women to undergo artificial insemination.
According to Liu, a survey conducted by the NDC found that the main reason women cite for not having children is inability to find a suitable marriage partner. The results also showed that the pressure of raising children and taking care of aging parents simultaneously also poses a significant obstacle. To this end, he proposed giving priority for public housing to married couples.
Liu added that there have been internal discussions about raising the childcare subsidy from NT$7,000 (USD$218) to NT$13,000 (USD$405); however, the increased expenses would likely require a budget of NT$50-100 billion (USD$1.6-3.2 billion).