US legislators continue to voice opposition to China’s transplant practices
In recent weeks, state and federal legislators have been taking action to condemn forced organ harvesting by passing and introducing several state resolutions as well as one federal bill. Georgia’s House of Representatives passed House Resolution 944 on March 19th. The resolution was sponsored by 19 representatives and passed unanimously with 156 favorable votes. In addition to calling for China to immediately terminate its program of killing for profit, the resolution states that no country should allow its citizens to travel to China for transplants before its transplantation infrastructure is transparent and fully investigated. Legislative Aid Ryan Brown said that House Resolution 944 will “support the notification of people traveling to China that illegal organ harvesting is a really big problem there and that if you are trying to get an organ transplant, don’t get it from China. It’s a safety issue, but it’s also a big deal because those organs are harvested from prisoners and other illicit sources.”
On March 27th, Georgia’s Senate passed a resolution introduced by Jeff Mullis (R-GA53), Chairman of the Committee on Rules, recommending that “[m]easures be taken regarding actions against Falun Gong practitioners.” Senator Renee Unterman (R-GA45), Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, who used to work in a hospital kidney transplantation department, noted that she is acutely aware of the sense of urgency patients experience while waiting for organs. Senate Resolution 629 is imperative to protect those who are susceptible to collusion with a state sanctioned criminal practice.
Arizona unanimously passed a resolution condemning forced organ harvesting in China on April 4th. Diana Molovinsky, a member of the local Falun Dafa Association, writes that House Concurrent Memorial is important for Arizona because “China could send its doctors to the Mayo Clinic and the University of Arizona School of Medicine as well as other medical schools in the United States. These doctors are trained as transplant surgeons and will be going back to China where their training could be used to carry out forced organ harvesting. This memorial will also help the medical community educate the public that Arizona residents could be going to China to get an organ and unknowingly be partaking in this medical genocide.”
Both the Minnesota State House and Senate have introduced resolutions condemning China’s illicit transplantation practices. HF 2713 and SF 1969 are resolutions “expressing concern over persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned, forced organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience…” co-authored by Representative Rod Hamilton (R-MN22B) and Senator Bill Weber (D-MN22). In 2016, the state’s senate previously passed SF 2090 condemning organ harvesting in China. The successful passage of this resolution was notable as the Chinese consulate made attempts to block its progress.
The Missouri State Senate passed Resolution 28 on May 18 with a unanimous vote of 30 to 0 calling on the Chinese Communist Party to end the practice of forced organ harvesting. The resolution, sponsored by Senators Jill Schupp (D_MO24) and Jamilah Nasheed (D-MO5), condemns the “practice of organ harvesting from prisoners as well as prisoners of conscience, specifically Falun Gong prisoners of conscience.”
On April 10, the US House of Representatives voted 408-2 in favor of a bill combating human trafficking. The legislation, which includes content on illicit organ transplantation, is now awaiting US Senate approval. Senate Resolution 220 has been introduced to the US Senate by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
For a complete list of state and federal actions regarding China’s forced organ harvesting, please visit DAFOH’s website here.
