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.