The World Summit on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting, sponsored by five international NGOs, opened Friday with a global audience of over 60,000 people. Medical experts from three continents discussed several important issues which are summarized below. Over the rest of this weekend, legal and political experts will expound on the topic of China’s forced organ harvesting and illicit transplant practices. Next weekend, the World Summit will feature presentations from members of the media, human rights activists, ethicists, parliamentarians, and others. China’s practice of forced organ harvesting denigrates human morality and dignity by turning people into commodities. Harvesting organs from living persons is a crime against humanity. Those who participate in illicit organ procurement as well as those who receive such organs have lost all ethical principles in favor of selfish motives. In China, organ transplantation is a highly lucrative industry that is a main source of revenue for hospitals. There is no transparency or traceability surrounding transplant data with accuracy of official figures highly suspect. As long as human rights violations persist and data remains opaque, transplant abuse is unlikely to end. Dr. Raymond Scatellar, Professor Emeritus, George Washington University and former chair of the American Medical Association said, “Several transplant surgeons of the [Declaration of Istanbul] issued a declaration in June of 2020 which cautioned against scientific misconduct, and they stated that physicians should affirm allegiance to the guidelines regarding organ trafficking and tourism, and that journals should affirm their adherence to that goal… Sadly, in China, there is no transparency or commitment to these guidelines.” Scatellar also noted that “The World Health Organization… is silent on the problems of organ tourism and organ harvesting in China.” If the global medical profession tolerates such gross violations of internationally accepted codes of ethics for transplant medicine, trust in and credibility of the medicine profession will be seriously damaged. Despite the overwhelming evidence of forced organ harvesting, medical teaching institutions in the United States (and many countries around the world) continue to engage and cooperate with Chinese medical and academic centers to further their own interests. Dr. G. Weldon Gilcrease, Associate Professor of Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine said, “I think that as one common voice, we can make a difference. We can make a difference in our institutions, at our transplant centers, but it simply will take a strong unified voice saying that we simply can't tolerate this to continue happening. And we can't say nothing because, as we've said nothing, we've seen that it does continue to happen.” The world’s people must unite and openly recognize these egregious crimes, disengage from scientific and medical collaborations with China, and insist the perpetrators be held accountable. Both politicians and medical professionals should act now to stop these atrocities. Please, join the World Summit on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting by registering now for the remaining five online sessions on September 18th, 19th, 24th, 25th, and 26th. Attendance is free of charge.
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World Summit Opening Day with Global Audience of over 60,000
The World Summit on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting, sponsored by five international NGOs, opened Friday with a global audience of over 60,000 people.
Medical experts from three continents discussed several important issues which are summarized below. Over the rest of this weekend, legal and political experts will expound on the topic of China’s forced organ harvesting and illicit transplant practices. Next weekend, the World Summit will feature presentations from members of the media, human rights activists, ethicists, parliamentarians, and others.
China’s practice of forced organ harvesting denigrates human morality and dignity by turning people into commodities. Harvesting organs from living persons is a crime against humanity. Those who participate in illicit organ procurement as well as those who receive such organs have lost all ethical principles in favor of selfish motives.
In China, organ transplantation is a highly lucrative industry that is a main source of revenue for hospitals. There is no transparency or traceability surrounding transplant data with accuracy of official figures highly suspect. As long as human rights violations persist and data remains opaque, transplant abuse is unlikely to end.
Dr. Raymond Scatellar, Professor Emeritus, George Washington University and former chair of the American Medical Association said, “Several transplant surgeons of the [Declaration of Istanbul] issued a declaration in June of 2020 which cautioned against scientific misconduct, and they stated that physicians should affirm allegiance to the guidelines regarding organ trafficking and tourism, and that journals should affirm their adherence to that goal… Sadly, in China, there is no transparency or commitment to these guidelines.” Scatellar also noted that “The World Health Organization… is silent on the problems of organ tourism and organ harvesting in China.”
If the global medical profession tolerates such gross violations of internationally accepted codes of ethics for transplant medicine, trust in and credibility of the medicine profession will be seriously damaged.
Despite the overwhelming evidence of forced organ harvesting, medical teaching institutions in the United States (and many countries around the world) continue to engage and cooperate with Chinese medical and academic centers to further their own interests.
Dr. G. Weldon Gilcrease, Associate Professor of Oncology, University of Utah School of Medicine said, “I think that as one common voice, we can make a difference. We can make a difference in our institutions, at our transplant centers, but it simply will take a strong unified voice saying that we simply can't tolerate this to continue happening. And we can't say nothing because, as we've said nothing, we've seen that it does continue to happen.”
The world’s people must unite and openly recognize these egregious crimes, disengage from scientific and medical collaborations with China, and insist the perpetrators be held accountable. Both politicians and medical professionals should act now to stop these atrocities.
Please, join the World Summit on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting by registering now for the remaining five online sessions on September 18th, 19th, 24th, 25th, and 26th. Attendance is free of charge.