The restrictive Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) laws and 'moral safety valves' in Singapore and their role in creating Singaporean reproductive tourists or exiles

The paper analyses why some Singaporeans are crossing borders to avail of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments like In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), surrogacy, et cetera. A major factor that hinders or discourages couples from getting ART treatments in Singapore is the Bioethics Advisory Committee’s (BAC) strict regulations on ARTs –one of the most stringent in Asia. Formed as Singapore’s counterpart to the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the BAC prohibits certain technologies like surrogacy, PGD for sex selection as well as “race or traits shopping” through selection of egg and sperm donors. It also denies fertility treatment access to certain people, gays and lesbians, women over 40-45, singles, and women who cannot gestate. The BAC’s ban on payments reveal a logic of racial hierarchy that perpetuates a local versus outsider divide at the guise of protecting "weaker classes" and “not importing Singapore's fertility issues to other nations.”

As a result of the BAC’s ban on donor payments, there is a huge sperm and egg cell deficit in the country. Many Singaporeans do not want to donate or acquire genetic material within the small city-state for fear of incest or custody issues. Internet is enabling many to circumvent these ‘moral safety valves’ that the BAC had set in place—leading to the creation of grey markets. Singapore doctors and hospitals are lobbying to the government to revise some of the stricter regulations or else “lose out” to neighbouring India, Thailand, and Philippines who are establishing their niche and reputation as fertility tourism destinations. Their lower cost, exotic appeal, and most importantly, loose regulations and “bioavailable” citizens are their major selling point and competitive advantage. Since many technologies and services that Singapore prohibits are allowed in these countries, many of their fertility brokers and clinics report servicing several Singaporean clients annually.