PRINTER'S NO. 713
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
98
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, MAY 5, 2021
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, MAY 5, 2021
A RESOLUTION
Encouraging the medical community of this Commonwealth to help
raise awareness of unethical organ transplant practices in
China.
WHEREAS, Falun Gong is a spiritual practice with key values
of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance for achieving
physical and spiritual well-being through exercise and
meditation; and
WHEREAS, Since July 1999, Falun Gong practitioners have been
persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party, as documented by the
United States Department of State, the United States Commission
on International Religious Freedom, Amnesty International, Human
Rights Watch and many other governmental and third-party
organizations; and
WHEREAS, Persecution of Falun Gong practitioners involves the
widespread use of torture, forced labor work, brainwashing and
other abuses in extralegal reeducation-through-labor camps,
detention centers and prisons; and
WHEREAS, Prisoners are forced to undergo medical exams, blood
testing, urine testing and x-rays, despite being tortured; and
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WHEREAS, The organ transplantation system in China does not
comply with the World Health Organization's requirement of
transparency and traceability in organ procurement pathways, and
the People's Republic of China has prevented independent or
impartial inspection, scrutiny and verification of the
transplant system; and
WHEREAS, The People's Republic of China implemented
regulations in 1984 that permitted the harvesting of organs from
executed prisoners; and
WHEREAS, Former Vice Minister of Health, Huang Jiefu,
admitted publicly that more than 90% of transplant organs
extracted from deceased donors stemmed from executed prisoners
in China; and
WHEREAS, Organs were forcibly harvested from Falun Gong
practitioners in detention centers and prisons without voluntary
and informed consent; and
WHEREAS, It is estimated that since 1999, more than 1 million
Falun Gong practitioners have been detained and that
approximately 65,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been killed
for their organs; and
WHEREAS, Hospitals receive organs from these prisons and the
harvested organs are then used for transplants; and
WHEREAS, Recipients for these transplants are Chinese or
individuals from abroad, including United States citizens; and
WHEREAS, The Government of the People's Republic of China
continues to deny reports that many organs are taken without the
consent of prisoners, yet prevents independent verification of
its transplant system; and
WHEREAS, In June 2001, Chinese doctor Wang Guoqi testified
before the United States House of Representatives International
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Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Human
Rights that hospitals work in collusion with state security
agencies to extract organs from executed prisoners without
written consent of the organ donors and that these transplants
were a lucrative source of income; and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of State, in its 2011
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices stated, "Overseas and
domestic media and advocacy groups continued to report instances
of organ harvesting, particularly from Falun Gong practitioners
and Uighurs"; and
WHEREAS, In May 2012, the World Organization to Investigate
the Persecution of Falun Gong released telephone transcripts and
audio recordings of conversations between undercover
investigators and senior Chinese Communist Party officials, in
which several officials indicated that central authorities were
aware of or involved in organ harvesting from Falun Gong
prisoners; and
WHEREAS, Voluntary and informed consent is the precondition
for ethical organ donation and international medical
organizations state that prisoners deprived of their freedom are
not in the position to give consent; and
WHEREAS, The People's Republic of China has not officially
repealed provisions implemented in 1984 which permit the
harvesting of organs from executed prisoners, therefore the use
of organs from executed prisoners remains legal; and
WHEREAS, The officially reported transplant numbers in China
increased threefold nationwide between 1999 and 2004, parallel
to the onset of the persecution of Falun Gong; and
WHEREAS, The current co-chairperson of the National Health
and Family Planning Commission's Human Organ and Transplant
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Committee, Dr. Huang Jiefu, claimed that China would stop
sourcing organs from executed prisoners on January 1, 2015, yet
no official agency of the People's Republic of China has made
this declaration nor has Huang's claim been verified by
independent researchers; and
WHEREAS, Chinese officials have reclassified death row
prisoners as "ordinary citizens" with the right to donate their
organs, although the use of prisoner organs for transplant is
specifically banned by international medical organizations; and
WHEREAS, In May 2016, Huang Jiefu announced via state-run
media that China will increase the number of transplant centers
from 169 to 300 over the next five years; and
WHEREAS, The latest research estimates that the People's
Republic of China performs far more organ transplants each year
than its official figure of 10,000 indicates, and more than any
other country in the world, despite having few voluntary donors;
and
WHEREAS, Updated evidence estimates between 30,000 to 100,000
transplants occur annually in China without identified organ
sources; and
WHEREAS, Updated evidence suggests up to 1.5 million Falun
Gong practitioners may have been killed for their organs since
2001; and
WHEREAS, In 2015, the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom's annual report again listed
China as a "country of particular concern," due to severe
violations of human rights and illegal organ harvesting
practices stating, "Imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners are
particularly targeted"; and
WHEREAS, In 2015 and 2016, the Congressional-Executive
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Commission on China condemned ongoing unethical forced organ
harvesting practices in China; and
WHEREAS, In June 2016, the United States House of
Representatives passed House Resolution 343 expressing concern
over China's organ procurement from nonconsenting prisoners of
conscience, including from "large numbers of Falun Gong
practitioners and members of other religious and ethnic minority
groups"; and
WHEREAS, The practice of sourcing organs from prisoners is a
violation of ethical guidelines in medicine; and
WHEREAS, The killing of prisoners for the purpose of selling
their organs for transplant is an intolerable violation of the
fundamental right to life; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania call upon the
Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately end
the practice of forced organ harvesting from all prisoners,
particularly from Falun Gong prisoners and members of other
religious and ethnic minority groups; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania call upon the
Government of the People's Republic of China to increase
accountability and transparency in the organ transplant system
and punish those responsible for abuses; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania call upon the
United States Government to initiate a prohibition for each
United States teaching hospital to train Chinese doctors in
transplant surgery until the People's Republic of China
facilitates independent, impartial inspections of its transplant
infrastructure; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania suggest that the
United States Government enact legislation that will prohibit
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United States citizens from receiving organs abroad where organ
sourcing is not transparent and traceable according to
internationally accepted guidelines; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania urge the United
States Government to commence a full and transparent
investigation into organ transplant practices in the People's
Republic of China; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania call upon the
United States Government to prohibit any doctors involved in
unethical organ procurement or transplantation surgery using
organs harvested from living prisoners in China from gaining
entry into the United States; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania request the medical
community of this Commonwealth to caution patients against
traveling to China for organs; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate of Pennsylvania encourage the
medical community of this Commonwealth to help raise awareness
of unethical organ transplant practices in China; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, the Vice President of the
United States and the Secretary of State of the United States
and to each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.
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