86R16690 GM-D

By: Shaheen H.R. No. 748

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, When performed in accordance with ethical standards, the medical discipline of organ transplantation is one of the great achievements of modern medicine; and

WHEREAS, Voluntary and informed consent is the precondition for ethical organ donation; international medical organizations state that prisoners, deprived of their freedom, are not in the position to give free consent and that the practice of sourcing organs from prisoners is a violation of ethical guidelines in medicine; and

WHEREAS, The Government of the People's Republic of China has taken organs without the consent of prisoners, while also preventing independent verification of its transplant system; and

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

WHEREAS, Today, China maintains the largest forced-labor camp system in the world, enslaving millions of citizens; untold numbers of innocent people are detained arbitrarily and sent to these camps for "reeducation through labor" without being charged or tried; once imprisoned, they often suffer torture, violence, and the denial of medical care; in many cases, the death penalty is imposed based on confessions obtained under torture, and Chinese human rights activists report that inmates on death row are forced to sign organ donation forms; and

WHEREAS, It is imperative that every instance of organ transplantation be authorized by a willing donor and that all activities related to the medical procedure be trackable and open to examination; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas Legislature hereby condemn the practice of state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting in the People's Republic of China and call on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately end the practice of organ harvesting from all prisoners.