Published on May 3, 2013
British lawmakers have voiced concern over transplant abuse in China.
They attended a hearing on April 29 at the UK Parliament, organized by medical advocacy group, Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting.
[Andy Slaughter, Shadow Minister for Justice]
"I think it's certainly something we should look at now because it appears that there is a loophole here.
Obviously anything forcible organ transplant, let alone the death, murder of the person whose organ is being taken, would clearly be a very serious crime in the UK."
Allegations that the Chinese regime kills prisoners of conscience for their organs came to light in 2006.
The wife of a Chinese transplant surgeon came forward and said her husband had removed the corneas of about two thousand Faun Gong practitioners while they were still alive.
Former Canadian MP David Kilgour and investigative journalist Ethan Guttman are amongst those who have done extensive research into the allegations.
They both believe that Chinese state hospitals, which are closely monitored by the government, have been selling these organs to rich Chinese and foreigners.
And that makes this a problem beyond just China's borders.
[Andy Slaughter, Shadow Minister for Justice]
"But if people are being able to go abroad and have that transplant from that source, whether they know that or not frankly, and come back to the UK, then clearly that's something that's something we should be interested in because firstly it is a very serious crime.
It probably is a crime against humanity, it's a form of torture."
Israel was the first country to deny medical insurance to any citizen who gets an organ from China.
Governments in Australia, Taiwan and the EU are also discussing the legal policies to prevent medical tourism to China.
Andy Slaughter says the UK should also consider this.
The Chinese regime admits to taking organs from executed prisoners.
It's now pledged to phase this practice out.
[Paul Barasi, Co-Founder, Concrete Solutions]
"And the idea from the Chinese government that organ harvesting should be phased out is not acceptable.
They know it is going on and it needs to stop, it should never have happened and having got it stopped, the people who've been responsible for doing this need to legally be brought to account."
The Chinese regime keeps execution numbers secret, but most investigators agree that there wouldn't be enough inmates on death row to account for the 10,000 transplants done each year.
Doctors Against Forced Organ harvesting will next travel to Ireland for another hearing.
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