It was agreed — That the Subcommittee adopt the following amended statement:
“The Subcommittee has heard troubling testimony about the forced harvesting and trafficking of human organs. The gap between the supply of and demand for donor organs has given rise to a number of unethical and illegal practices. Individuals on transplant lists often must wait years for an organ to become available legally in Canada or elsewhere. Desperate to live, these individuals may decide to travel abroad for the transplant, to a country where they can purchase an organ. Sadly, the organs in this global trade are often taken – without consent – from the world’s poorest people and from those most vulnerable to exploitation. The Subcommittee was disturbed by the evidence it heard that organs were being forcibly harvested for transplant from executed prisoners of conscience and members of religious and ethnic minority groups in the People’s Republic of China, including but not limited to practitioners of Falun Dafa and Uighurs. Witnesses indicated that police, military and medical professionals in a number of regions of China were involved in illegal organ harvesting, implicating doctors, researchers, hospital and clinical staff, as well as justice sector professionals.
In light of the evidence that it has heard, the Subcommittee:
- Expresses its deep concern over credible allegations that prisoners of conscience and members of religious and ethnic minority groups, including but not limited to practitioners of Falun Dafa and Uighurs, in the People’s Republic of China are being executed for the purposes of harvesting and transplanting their organs.
- Expresses its deep concern over the persistent and credible reports of systematic, state-sanctioned organ harvesting from non-consenting prisoners of conscience and members of religious and ethnic minority groups, including but not limited to practitioners of Falun Dafa and Uighurs, in the People’s Republic of China.
- Condemns and calls for an immediate end to the practice of organ transplantation from living or deceased donors without free, informed and specific consent from donors or, where appropriate, their next of kin.
- Encourages Canadian medical professionals, scientists, researchers and their professional organizations – as well as regulatory bodies – to continue their efforts to put an end to illegal and unethical transplantation practices.
- Calls on medical and scientific professional and regulatory bodies to name, shame and ostracize individuals, institutions and their affiliates involved in the forced harvesting and trafficking of human organs.
- Calls on the Government of Canada to consider ways to discourage and prevent Canadians from taking part in transplant tourism, where the organs have not been obtained in an ethical, safe and transparent fashion.”