This is a topic I never thought I would write about but here we are. The good news is thanks to your calls and emails, last month the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023” (H.R. 1154) by an overwhelmingly vote of 413 to 2. Now our attention turns to the U.S. Senate to pass the bill and send it to President Biden.
We’ve all heard the urban legend. Someone wakes up in a bathtub full of ice and they are missing a kidney. It’s a terrifying idea. For millions of people in China, the fear is real. New evidence shows the Chinese government is harvesting the organs of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China for profit. This must be stopped.
There is extensive evidence that the Chinese government has been involved in the forced organ harvesting of Uyghurs and other persecuted groups, including Tibetans and Falun Gong practitioners. The practice involves forcibly removing organs from individuals, including political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, while they are still alive and without their consent, and selling them for profit.
Senator Tom Cotton (R, Arkansas) and Senator Chris Coons (D, Delaware) have introduced in the Senate the bipartisan bill ‘‘Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023’’ (S.761).
The bill codifies United States policy:
- To combat international trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs;
- To promote the dignity and security of human life in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- To hold accountable persons implicated, including members of the Chinese Communist Party, in forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs.
This bill also gives the President the authority to sanction persons engaged in organ harvesting and requires the State Department to report fully on this in its annual human rights report.
Please share this action with your friends and on your social media with this link: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/congress-help-stop-forced-organ-harvesting-in-china/
Please follow up your message with phone calls and emails to the staff of your U.S. senators.
We have new resources to make this easier for you. We’ve created an online listing of key staff of every U.S. senator.
Just click here to find the name, phone number, and email of the staffers to your U.S. senators.
Just follow the steps below to call and email your U.S. senators Sometimes just one call or direct email from you can make the difference.
Action #1: make a phone call
- Click here to check if your U.S. senators are already co-sponsors of the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023 (S.761). (If he or she is a co-sponsor, simply call to thank them. We don’t do that enough!)
- Just click here to find the name, phone number, and email of the staffers to your U.S. senators.
- When you reach their office, ask to be connected directly to the staffer, either in person on their voicemail.
- Simply tell the staffer – in person or on their voicemail – you want your representative to co-sponsor the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023 (S.761).
- Leave your name, number, and city of residence to indicate that you live in the state.
- Email us at [email protected] and tell us how your calls went.
Follow up #2: email the staffers of your U.S. senators
- Click here to check if your U.S. senators are already co-sponsors of the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023 (S.761). (If he or she is a co-sponsor, simply call to thank them. We don’t do that enough!)
- Just click here to find the name, phone number, and email of the staffers to your U.S. senators.
In your email, we suggest you use a succinct and direct subject line such as: “Co-sponsor the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023 (S.761)”
Start your message with a mention of where you live in the state. Feel free to include a personal note on why you care about the Uyghurs in particular. Please use or adapt the following text in your email. Please blind copy (bcc) us on your email at [email protected].
I ask that you co-sponsor the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023” (S.761)
The bill codifies United States policy:
- To combat international trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs;
- To promote the dignity and security of human life in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- To hold accountable persons implicated, including members of the Chinese Communist Party, in forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs.
Please write back and tell me when you will co-sponsor the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023 (S.761). Thank you.
Just one email or phone call from a constituent can make a difference. So email and call your U.S. representative every few days until they co-sponsor the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023” (S.761).