Assisted Reproductive Act Amendment: The Testing Ground for the New Taiwanese Parliament’s Power Dynamics

Written by JhuCin Rita Jhang, Ph.D. The 2024 Taiwanese presidential election has garnered substantial international attention due to the ever-intricate US-Taiwan-China relationship. However, this election means more to the Taiwanese than just how they want to engage with China. Contrarily, domestic issues carried much more weight than usual, including housing prices, economic policies, transportation infrastructure, and, for the first time in the centre of the competition, the Assisted Reproductive Act (ARA).  

#MeToo Cases Lead to Legal Hotline for Victims. But Will This Change Engrained Social Attitudes?

Written by Darice D. Chang, Caritta Lin, and Rita Jhang. The #MeToo movement blossomed in Taiwan in May 2023 partly due to a successful TV show, Wave Makers, which features sexual harassment in the political world and partly due to several high-profile sexual harassment cases brought to light in Taiwanese politics around the same time. While increased social awareness and scandal brought swift legislative action and increased support for victims in the form of both social support and legal aid, which we will delve into more detail, amendments to laws that have failed victims previously and increasing support are not a definitive solution to an entrenched social issue — instead, we should consider the various factors that have contributed to a society where power based gender violence could be an open secret.

What have we learned from the still-unfolding #MeToo movement in Taiwan?

Written by Weiting Wu. The flames of Taiwan’s #MeToo movement have provided new opportunities to reflect on Confucian and patriarchal influences throughout society. To do so, however, Taiwan must act and work in solidarity to address the long-repressed suffering of #MeToo victims. Then, the transgender population, ethnic minorities, senior citizens, people with disabilities, and so on, may finally have the power to seek their justice.

Judicial Reform in Taiwan in the context of the Citizen Judges Act

Written by John Burn. In her inauguration speech in 2016, it was claimed that Tsai Ing-Wen received her most rapturous applause for her pledges to institute reform of the judiciary and criminal law proceedings. In a climate of widespread public mistrust in a perceived detachment of judges’ interpretations of the law and public morality, Tsai embarked upon her stage of the long and slow relay of reform. So far, her administration’s most significant stride in this direction has been the Citizen Judges Act, which came into effect on the 1st of January this year. Yet this measure is only the latest legislative development in the long, complicated course of Taiwanese judicial reform.

Tainan Police Murder: A Chance for Total Reform of Police Use of Force Training

Written by Wei-An Tsai. ​​In August 2022, the brutal murder of two police officers on duty in Tainan city sent shock waves through Taiwanese society. The two officers, Tu Ming-cheng (凃明誠) and Tsao Jui-chieh (曹瑞傑), were tipped about a stolen motorcycle and set out to investigate. However, they were later ambushed and killed by the suspect shortly after arriving at the scene, which was in an unpopulated area.​  
The two officers suffered fatal stab wounds, despite one carrying a gun. The issue of the timing to use firearms quickly became the centre of public debate. In apprehending the suspect on the run, the Interior Minister, Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇), instructed police officers “not to hesitate to open fire when faced with resistance.”

Police’s Right to Use Firearms? Lessons from the Murder of Two Police Officers in Taiwan

Written by Ting-Yi Bai. In August 2020, the murder of two police officers shocked Taiwanese society. The police officers, Tu Ming-Cheng, and Cao Ruei-Jie, investigated larceny after receiving a report that a stolen motor had been seen near Chikan Tower in Tainan. While searching for the suspect separately, Tu Ming-Cheng was suddenly attacked by the inmate Lin Xin-Wu, who had escaped from Mingde Minimum-Security Prison. Cao Ruei-Jie was also stabbed after failing to halt the culprit. Both died in the end.

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