The four most lucrative crimes in the world are the trafficking in drugs; in weapons; in stolen art; and in human beings.  People are trafficked and used for their labor, for sex, and for the illegal harvesting of their body organs. 

Organ trafficking, especially to meet the demand for kidneys and livers, is a booming business. According to the journal Life Sciences, Society, and Policy, “The increase in longevity, in rates of diabetes and obesity, and in alcohol-related liver disease all contribute both to increased demand for transplants, and re-transplants, and to a reduction in the number of usable organs.” 

These factors affecting organ supply and demand are nearly universal.  For years China has harvested the organs of executed prisoners to meet this highly-lucrative demand.  

An “Organ harvesting” demonstration by Epochtimes. Image by Wrightbus|CC BY-SA 3.0| License: https://tinyurl.com/yzpewa6e

 In June 2021, UN human rights experts said that they were extremely alarmed by reports of alleged ‘organ harvesting’ targeting people in detention in China, including Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghurs, Tibetans, Muslims, and Christians. 

Since 2014, Uyghurs have represented a disproportionately high percentage of China’s prison population and an equally alarming proportion of those sentenced to long prison terms.  At present, more than 1.5 million Uyghurs are unlawfully held in Chinese detention camps, which are facilities run separately from prisons.  According to the China Tribunal, an independent body tasked with investigating organ harvesting and other potential crimes carried out against China’s Uyghurs. 

Uyghurs are reportedly being killed for their organs to serve a booming transplant trade worth some $1 billion a year. 

Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting has called on the U.S. Congress to investigate whether the forced harvesting of Uyghurs’ human organs constitutes genocide. 

The Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act is pending in both the U.S. House and Senate.  It would include (1) establishing property-blocking and visa-blocking sanctions, (2) prohibiting exports of certain surgery devices to entities that are identified as being responsible for forced organ harvesting or related human trafficking, and (3) requiring the Department of State to report on these practices. 

The bills have bipartisan support but have not yet come to full floor votes. Also, for Minnesotans, neither Sen. Klobuchar nor Sen. Smith is a co-sponsor of S602 and only three of Minnesota’s eight members of the House of Representatives are co-sponsors of the House legislation, HR1592.  Please encourage passage to end this horrific practice.