Cabbage Baby Association Chairwoman Sentenced to 4 Years for International Surrogacy Fraud

(Central News Agency, reporter Lin Changshun, Taipei, 5th) Wu, the chairwoman of the Cabbage Baby Association with a prior conviction for violating the Artificial Reproduction Act, was sentenced to 4 years in prison by the Shilin District Court for charging fees to broker surrogacy services in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand, and for fraud. The verdict can be appealed.

In 2019, Wu and her husband, surnamed Lin, brokered a deal for a couple to obtain an egg donor and find a surrogate mother in Ukraine, charging them US$27,000 (approximately NT$810,000). After the couple traveled to Ukraine, Wu and her husband ceased communication, causing the surrogacy plan to fail, leading to a lawsuit. The Supreme Court sentenced each of them to 3 months and 2 months in prison, respectively, for violating the Artificial Reproduction Act (profit-making brokering of reproductive cells), both commutable to fines.

According to the prosecutor's indictment, in July 2021, Wu established the "Cabbage Baby Association" (dissolved on July 30, 2025), posting surrogacy information on a Facebook fan page. She held "surrogacy information sessions" for a fee of NT$500 per person and charged fees to broker surrogacy services in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand.

The prosecutor stated that under Thai law, commercial surrogacy and surrogacy for non-Thai citizens are illegal. However, Wu falsely claimed that surrogacy in Thailand was legal, leading a victim surnamed Liao to believe the service was lawful and to proceed with it. Liao later obtained forged child identification documents from a local agent, which were discovered by the Immigration Agency upon his return to Taiwan.

Furthermore, due to personal financial difficulties, Wu and others falsely told multiple victims that they could broker surrogacy services or medical institutions in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand. The victims paid fees to Wu and her associates, who neither transferred the funds to the overseas medical institutions nor even contacted them. One victim was stranded overseas and had to pay their own way to return to Taiwan.

In January of this year, the Shilin District Prosecutors Office indicted Wu, her husband Lin, and two others for aggravated fraud under the Criminal Code and for violating the Artificial Reproduction Act. (Editor: Chang Mingkun) June 5, 2026