NEWS//A bill opposed to Chinese organ harvesting

Last week, two senators and two congressmen introduced bills that condemn China for allowing the harvesting of human organs from prisoners.

Reports of a multi-billion-dollar organ harvesting program in China made headlines in 2019. According to reports, China executes political prisoners in order to sell their organs. Among the targeted groups are Falun Gong practitioners (a Christian sect), Uyghurs and other Turkic people (most Muslims), and adherents of The Church of Almighty God (a new religious movement).

On March 10, 2021, a bipartisan group of legislators introduced a bill in both Houses to combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for the purpose of the removal of organs and for other purposes (Senate bill 602 and House of Representatives bill 1592). in the Senate. The bill was sponsored by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Chris Coons (D-CT), and Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Tom Suozzi (D-NY).

If passed, the bill will authorize the US government to

• deny or revoke passports for illegal organ purchasers;

• mandate annual reporting to the US Department of State on forced organ harvesting in foreign countries, identifying foreign officials and entities responsible for forced organ harvesting;

• mandate an annual report on US institutions that train organ transplant surgeons affiliated with foreign entities involved in forced organ harvesting;

• prohibit the export of organ transplant surgery devices to entities responsible for forced organ harvesting; and

• sanction foreign officials and entities that engage in or otherwise support forced organ harvesting.

Sources: Bitter Harvest, Medical Tourism, China Tribunal’s final report, News.com.au, New York Post, China Organ Harvest Research Center, NBC News, End Transplant Abuse in China