French National Assembly to debate bill on forced organ harvesting in China

In a bill to be debated, French MPs are questioning the lack of transparency in China's lucrative organ harvesting trade. Independent reports show that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been harvesting organs of political prisoners without consent for about 30 years. 

The victims are Christians, Uyghurs and Falun Gong practitioners in China, reported NTD News.

Research quoted in the bill said that China conducted an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 organ transplants per year. These organs are sold to not only rich Chinese people but also to foreigners who travel to China for organs transplants. 

This practice has been denounced in EU's resolution in 2012, calling for the immediate release of prisoners of concern in China, reported NTD News. 

But, it did not stop the Chinese regime from continuing to harvest organs and one issue remains to be addressed - the complicity of French surgeons and hospitals, who help their Chinese counterparts. Head of Research and Technology Development, Salpetriere Hospital, Alexis Genin said in the 2018 Senate hearing that there is direct cooperation between French and Chinese surgeons, reported NTD News. 

"Our French organ transplant system is formidable, our best surgeons have taught and trained Chinese surgeons for the past 20 years. What they know about transplantation, they learned of from us," said Genin. 

The bill is supported with evidence from the French hospitals' programmes, helping Chinese transplantation systems. 

In 2019, the French delegation including a top French Heart Hospital director and president of the National Academy of Surgery officially opened a French-Chinese hospital in Shanghai. Each year ten cardiologists from Asia Heart Hospital in Wuhan are trained by the University Hospital of Bordeaux at a cost of approximately Euro 90,000 each. 

This involves the cooperation of French universities, pharmaceuticals, public hospitals and surgeons, reported NTD News. Investigative journalist Ethan Gutmann presented evidence to the National Assembly on his work, interviewing Uyghurs and former prisoners of concerns. 

He also said that pharmaceutical companies play a role. "French companies are trying to sell products that are directly related to organ harvesting in China and one of our pharmaceutical manufacturers is certainly selling immuno-suppressive drugs," said Gutmann. 

Gutmann said that pharmaceutical drugs are means to preserve the health conditions of people who have received an organ, reported NTD News. 

However, these drug companies played a major role in the fast development of forced organ harvesting in China beginning from the 90s. 

If the bill presented in the National Assembly is implemented, it might force French hospitals and companies to show evidence that the organs for transplant are ethically sourced