The Limits of Artificial Reproduction

and Surrogacy

Couples that cannot conceive naturally have other options in Hong Kong, but they can face restrictions in accessing them. HKU scholars have been looking at the psychological and legal issues involved.

The Labour of

Giving Birth

China’s transformation into an economic superpower is often framed in terms of production output, technological advancement and infrastructure. What is often missing is another kind of production – that of workers. Dr Gonçalo Santos has been tracing the transformation of birth in China as it moved from the home to the hospital and became increasingly subject to biomedical interventions.

Bringing Hope for Congenital Disorders

Discovering your baby has an incurable inherited disorder can have a lifelong psychological, social and economic impact on families. But new insights into the molecular genetic bases of two such disorders – Hirschsprung disease and dwarfism – hold promise for developing therapies to lessen the impact. Moreover, the findings may have implications for understanding common disorders that affect millions of people globally.

Raising the Odds of Conception

About 10 to 15 per cent of couples have difficulty conceiving babies. Research at HKU on sperm and eggs is aiming to improve their chances of success.

Birthing in Hong Kong

Colonialism and modernisation have both brought changes to reproduction and birth control practices in Hong Kong. But some attitudes are proving to be immutable.