| PRINTER'S NO. 4202 |
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. | 1052 | Session of 2014 |
INTRODUCED BY BAKER, CORBIN, AUMENT, V. BROWN, MAHONEY, THOMAS, MILLARD, DAVIS, JAMES, PICKETT, KAUFFMAN, MAJOR, SWANGER, ROCK, KIRKLAND, GILLEN AND MURT, OCTOBER 3, 2014
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, OCTOBER 3, 2014
A RESOLUTION
1Encouraging the medical community of this Commonwealth to help
2raise awareness of unethical organ transplant practices in
3China.
4WHEREAS, Falun Gong is a spiritual practice with key values
5of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance for achieving
6physical and spiritual well-being through exercise and
7meditation; and
8WHEREAS, Since July 1999, Falun Gong practitioners have been
9persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party, as documented by the
10United States Department of State, the United States Commission
11on International Religious Freedom, Amnesty International, Human
12Rights Watch and many other governmental and third-party
13organizations; and
14WHEREAS, Persecution of Falun Gong practitioners involves the
15widespread use of torture, forced labor work, brainwashing and
16other abuses in extralegal reeducation-through-labor camps,
17detention centers and prisons; and
1WHEREAS, Prisoners are forced to undergo medical exams, blood
2testing, urine testing and x-rays, despite being tortured; and
3WHEREAS, The organ transplantation system in China does not
4comply with the World Health Organization's requirement of
5transparency and traceability in organ procurement pathways; and
6WHEREAS, The People's Republic of China implemented
7regulations in 1984 that permitted the harvesting of organs from
8executed prisoners; and
9WHEREAS, Former Vice Minister of Health, Huang Jiefu,
10admitted publicly that more than 90% of transplant organs
11extracted from deceased donors stemmed from executed prisoners
12in China; and
13WHEREAS, Organs were forcibly harvested from Falun Gong
14practitioners in detention centers and prisons without
15voluntary and informed consent; and
16WHEREAS, It is estimated that since 1999, more than 1 million
17Falun Gong practitioners have been detained and that
18approximately 65,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been killed
19for their organs; and
20WHEREAS, Hospitals receive organs from these prisons and the
21harvested organs are then used for transplants; and
22WHEREAS, Recipients for these transplants are Chinese or
23individuals from abroad, including United States citizens; and
24WHEREAS, The Government of the People's Republic of China
25continues to deny reports that many organs are taken without the
26consent of prisoners, yet prevents independent verification of
27its transplant system; and
28WHEREAS, In June 2001, Chinese doctor Wang Guoqi testified
29before the United States House of Representatives International
30Relations Subcommittee on International Organizations and Human
1Rights that hospitals work in collusion with state security
2agencies to extract organs from executed prisoners without
3written consent of the organ donors and that these transplants
4were a lucrative source of income; and
5WHEREAS, The United States Department of State, in its 2011
6Country Reports on Human Rights Practices stated, "Overseas and
7domestic media and advocacy groups continued to report instances
8of organ harvesting, particularly from Falun Gong practitioners
9and Uighurs"; and
10WHEREAS, In May 2012, the World Organization to Investigate
11the Persecution of Falun Gong released telephone transcripts and
12audio recordings of conversations between undercover
13investigators and senior Chinese Communist Party officials, in
14which several officials indicated that central authorities were
15aware of or involved in organ harvesting from Falun Gong
16prisoners; and
17WHEREAS, Voluntary and informed consent is the precondition
18for ethical organ donation and international medical
19organizations state that prisoners deprived of their freedom are
20not in the position to give consent; and
21WHEREAS, The practice of sourcing organs from prisoners is a
22violation of ethical guidelines in medicine; and
23WHEREAS, The killing of prisoners for the purpose of selling
24their organs for transplant is an intolerable violation of the
25fundamental right to life; therefore be it
26RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call upon the
27Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately end
28the practice of forced organ harvesting from all prisoners,
29particularly from Falun Gong prisoners and members of other
30religious and ethnic minority groups; and be it further
1RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call upon the
2Government of the People's Republic of China to increase
3accountability and transparency in the organ transplant system
4and punish those responsible for abuses; and be it further
5RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the United
6States Government to commence a full and transparent
7investigation into organ transplant practices in the People's
8Republic of China; and be it further
9RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call upon the
10United States Government to prohibit any doctors involved in
11unethical organ procurement or transplantation surgery using
12organs harvested from living prisoners in China from gaining
13entry into the United States; and be it further
14RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage the
15medical community of the Commonwealth to help raise awareness of
16unethical organ transplant practices in China.