Under Taiwan's current assisted reproductive laws, in vitro fertilization (IVF) is only available for heterosexual married couples, forcing same-sex married couples like City and Mota to start their family abroad.
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00:00On a street corner in New Taipei,
00:04Moda and Siti wait for the school bus
00:07to pick up their four-year-old daughter, Dobi.
00:09I'm so shy.
00:11You're exaggerating.
00:13I'm so shy.
00:14You're exaggerating.
00:15The two women have been together for eight years
00:17and are legally married.
00:19They welcomed Dobi in 2020,
00:21thrilled to have their first child.
00:24We're fighting for it.
00:25We feel like my daughter is the emperor.
00:28We're the concubines.
00:30Who do you want to sleep with today?
00:32As a lesbian couple,
00:33starting their family was a long and difficult process.
00:38According to Taiwan's laws,
00:39women who freeze their eggs can only access them
00:42with their husband's signature,
00:44a problem for Taiwan's single women
00:46and queer couples like Siti and Moda.
00:49Unable to start their family in Taiwan,
00:51they had to look abroad
00:53for a pregnancy that was far from easy.
00:57The problem was that I almost died.
01:01When I was in Cambodia...
01:03Complicating the pregnancy further
01:05was the need for coordination
01:07between doctors across international borders.
01:10But ultimately, they succeeded and had Dobi.
01:14Two years later, they decided to try again,
01:17spending well over 60,000 U.S. dollars
01:19for the two treatments.
01:21This time, Siti decided to carry their child,
01:24hoping pregnancy would be easier for her.
01:27But after nine months, tragedy struck.
01:30Everything went well.
01:32When I was about to give birth,
01:39my child suddenly had no heartbeat.
01:42That incident was a test for me.
01:46Maybe I was just too lucky.
01:49Although their journey has been difficult,
01:51Siti and Moda are eager to share their experience,
01:55working with Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy,
01:58a Taiwan-based NGO focused on advocacy,
02:01legal rights,
02:02and organizing family events for queer couples.
02:05Seeing so many gay families,
02:07the most important thing is to see children
02:09climbing on the ground and chasing each other.
02:14In the happy afternoon,
02:16when they were with each other,
02:17they gave us a great feedback.
02:20When they saw that someone had realized
02:22the ideal of gay marriage,
02:25they were even more confident.
02:26They knew they were not the only lesbian couple
02:29in Taiwan who wanted to have children.
02:33Taiwan's health ministry has proposed an amendment
02:35to the law on assisted reproduction.
02:37But Siti and Moda decided not to wait,
02:40and are instead trying again,
02:42hoping to expand their family
02:44no matter the cost,
02:45nor the potential for heartbreak.
02:48In their view, the risk is worth it
02:50for the chance of a happy ending.
02:53Yixin Chen, Millie Hughes, and Harrell Hughes for Taiwan Plus.