United States: The Facts about Organ Harvesting in China Shock Doctors at Annual Meeting of International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation in San Francisco

The International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) held its annual meeting and scientific sessions at the Hilton Hotel in San Francisco on April 25th to 28th, 2007. About 2,000 experts, scholars and medical staff dedicated to heart and lung transplantation from around the world attended. Falun Gong practitioners in the San Francisco Bay Area took the opportunity to tell the attendees the facts about Falun Gong, hoping that they would have an opportunity to learn about the persecution practitioners have been suffering, and the inhuman harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in China.

Many doctors signed the petition to condemn the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) crime of harvesting organs from living people.

Falun Gong practitioners hold banners outside the venue of the annual meeting of the ISHLT, informing the attendees about the crimes of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in China

Clarifying the facts about Falun Gong to doctors attending the meeting

After learning the facts, people sign the petition to condemn the CCP's harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners

Falun Gong practitioners explained the situation to the organisers of the meeting, hoping to enlist their concern and support. The organisers accepted the independent investigation report regarding Falun Gong practitioners having their organs harvested while they were still alive in mainland China. The organisers also handed out the reports to the meeting's committee members.

With the hotel's approval, Falun Gong practitioners displayed banners outside the gate of the hotel asking people to help end the crime of harvesting organs. They also distributed truth-clarifying flyers to passersby.

Engineer Zhang Qian from the Bay Area said that she took a day off work to come to the venue of the ISHLT to clarify the truth. She hoped that these heart/lung transplant experts, scholars, and staff could learn about the outrageous act of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners in the mainland China. She said one of her friends in Beijing was sentenced to forced labour for refusing to give up practising Falun Gong. She was worried about this friend's safety.

Many doctors attending the meeting said that they had learned the facts, such as that during the period when Falun Gong practitioners were suffering brutal persecution, there was also a massive surge of organ transplant operations in mainland China. The autopsies of the bodies of some Falun Gong practitioners who were tortured to death at forced labour camps or prisons revealed that some organs were missing. These facts shocked the listeners. Some doctors asked for the independent investigation reports released by the Canadian independent investigation team. They said they would read it carefully. Some doctors expressed their sympathy and support, and signed the petition.

It is widely known that a primary source of organ transplants are Falun Gong practitioners

A lung transplant expert in the US told practitioners that he knew many patients who had gone to China for kidney transplants. He also knew some Chinese doctors who had immigrated to the US because they could not tolerate the current situation in China.

According to this lung transplantation expert, these Chinese doctors do not have an opportunity in the US to practise medicine, but they would rather stay in labs of hospitals in the US to do experiments, than work as doctors under China's current medical system. These doctors told him that inside China, organs for transplants are from executed prisoners, particularly persecuted people such as Falun Gong practitioners. This is widely known. This lung transplant expert was quite familiar with all kinds of atrocities the CCP has committed, therefore, he was not surprised regarding the heinous acts of the CCP harvesting organs from living people. He knew that the CCP has committed monstrous crimes in terms of violating human rights.

This kind surgeon wished Falun Gong practitioners good luck, and expressed his support for Falun Gong.

A doctor from Japan told practitioners that it is a common occurrence in Japan that people choose to go to China for organ transplants, because in Japan, the number of people who can be organ suppliers and transplant operations every year are quite few. He noticed that in the past four years, the number of organ transplants inside China has sharply increased, and everybody knows that these organs for transplants are from executed prisoners. He was deeply shocked upon learning about the facts revealed by the investigative report written by Kilgour and Matas. (http://investigation.go.saveinter.net/) He strongly condemned the CCP regime's harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners.

Harvesting of Live Organs Is Against All Principles of the Medical Profession

A cardiac surgeon from Saudi Arabia learned about the atrocity of harvesting organs from living people and strongly expressed that such acts are against all principles in the medical profession and are very immoral. He said that organs are donated in his country, and the authorities must obtain the consent of family members. Human organs and the whole process of medical treatment are provided free of charge. No transaction of money is allowed. This is to avoid a situation where people are killed for profit.

A doctor from Belgium learned about the atrocity of live organ harvesting. He felt it is inhuman and that it is intolerable. He said that it was even worse to think that doctors and the government are involved. He said that there is a governmental organisation in the European Union, working 24 hours a day. Every organ transplant operation must be approved by this organisation. As for organ donations from those who have died suddenly, two doctors must certify that the person is indeed brain dead.

Doctors from South America and Europe did not believe this at the beginning, because in their countries, governments take strict measures on organ transplants so as to ensure medical ethics and moral standards. No organ transplant can be conducted until after carefully signing, checking and approving large numbers of documents. Witnesses must also testify. Therefore, such an atrocity is hard to imagine in their countries. Practitioners explained in detail the facts proving that the CCP has indeed committed such a crime. After learning those facts, they showed concern for the atrocities taking place inside China. They also showed sympathy for Falun Gong practitioners.

One doctor said that the CCP regime has declared it would not do such things any more. When a practitioner asked him, "Has the CCP regime opened all forced labour camps and prisons to allow independent investigations?" The doctor looked pensive and took a copy of the investigation report (www.organharvestinvestigation.net).

Through this activity, Falun Gong practitioners in the Bay Area of San Francisco hoped more people could learn about the persecution through different channels, extend their support to help stop this outrageous organ harvesting, and bring an end to the inhuman persecution taking place in China soon.