86R11759 GM-F

By: Paxton S.R. No. 627

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Extensive and credible reports have revealed the systematic, state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from prisoners of conscience in the People's Republic of China; and

WHEREAS, An article in the Wall Street Journal on February 5, 2019, entitled "The Nightmare of Human Organ Harvesting in China" states that an independent tribunal led by Sir Geoffrey Nice, who prosecuted Slobodan Milosevic, concluded in December of 2018 that "in China, forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience has been practiced for a substantial period of time, involving a very substantial number of victims"; and

WHEREAS, These reports describe a large-scale, state-directed organ transplant system, and Falun Gong practitioners in custody face the greatest risk of being killed for their organs; and

WHEREAS, Involving meditative exercises and centered on the values of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, the spiritual practice of Falun Gong gained many followers in China in the 1990s; in 1999, the Chinese Communist Party launched an intensive nationwide campaign to eradicate the practice, and this persecution resulted in the detainment of hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese reeducation-through-labor camps, detention centers, and prisons; and

WHEREAS, A 2015 Freedom House report found that Falun Gong practitioners comprise the largest portion of prisoners of conscience in China and face an elevated risk of dying or being killed in custody; and

WHEREAS, China's organ transplant system abounds with evidence of misconduct; for example, Chinese custom requires bodies to be preserved intact after death, making voluntary organ donation rare; however, China's transplant industry has increased significantly since 2000; similarly, wait times for emergency liver transplants in China are quoted in days or hours, and the wait times for nonemergency liver transplants are quoted in weeks; most patients in other countries wait years for a liver transplant; and

WHEREAS, While refusing to acknowledge the harvesting of organs from prisoners of conscience, the Chinese government has acknowledged the harvesting of organs from executed prisoners; and

WHEREAS, China's unethical and illegal organ procurement practices do not comply with the World Health Organization's guidelines for organ procurement, and those who travel to China for organ transplants should be aware that organs have been harvested from prisoners of conscience; and

WHEREAS, The Texas Penal Code Title 10, Section 48.02, prohibits the purchase and sale of human organs, but unfortunately there are no laws protecting those who unwittingly turn to China's criminal medical tourism to save their lives; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 86th Texas Legislature hereby condemn the systematic, state-sanctioned harvesting of organs from prisoners of conscience in the People's Republic of China.