Introduction

(Minghui.org) From 1999 to 2007, the numbers of organ transplantation surgeries in China saw a sudden, unprecedented spike. Transplant tourism was actively promoted, with hospital websites promising vital organs to western visitors within several weeks or even within a matter a days.

In 2006, allegations that the Chinese regime was using imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners as a living organ donor bank shook the world. In a frightening statistic, the rise in organ transplantation surgeries corresponds with the most brutal years of the regime's persecution of Falun Gong, when hundreds of thousands of practitioners were arrested or simply disappeared.

After several independent investigations confirmed the allegations that imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners were being murdered for their organs, countries around the world have considered how to help halt the gruesome practice.

Australian Senate Joins UN, Council of Europe, and Other Major Nations in Taking a Stand Against Chinese Organ Harvesting Crimes

The Australian Senate unanimously passed a motion on March 21, 2013 to oppose the practice of organ harvesting in China. This is an important step towards developing legislation that can have a direct impact on reducing abuses in the international organ transplantation field.

The United Nations and the Council of Europe have already initiated a plan to introduce a new binding international treaty to prevent trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and to combat the trafficking of human beings for organ removal.

The motion, introduced by Australian Senator John Madigan, calls on the Australian Government to “support the UN and Council of Europe initiatives to oppose the practice of organ harvesting.”

Senator Madigan pointed out in his motion, “the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations (UN) on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment has issued two reports detailing allegations of organ harvesting in China.”

“The UN and the Council of Europe are planning to introduce a new binding international treaty to prevent trafficking in organs, tissues and cells and have already issued protocols containing appropriate measures to combat the trafficking of human beings for organ removal.”

The motion also stated, “Since the publication of the UN reports, the United States of America (US), from June 2011, has included on its online non-immigrant visa application Form DS-160 the question, 'Have you ever been directly involved in the coercive transplantation of human organs or bodily tissues?'”

Mr. Madigan said that Australia can follow the example of the U.S., and add a similar question to their entry visa registration form.

He also stated that a law should be issued to ensure that Australian doctors and international doctors who have received training in Australia will not get involved in these organ transplantation crimes. “We can also increase our efforts to collect statistics on the organ transplants,” the senator said.