[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 150 (Friday, October 31, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H9846-H9847]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CHINA AND HUMAN RIGHTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Washington, Mrs. Linda Smith, is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. LINDA SMITH of Washington. Madam Speaker, yesterday I introduced 
a resolution expressing a sense of Congress that the Chinese 
Government's practice of executing prisoners and selling their organs 
for transplant be stopped and that we say this is immoral. Earlier this 
month, on ``Prime Time Live,'' a television show airing on ABC, 
Americans got a see for themselves what has become an all too common 
practice of prisoners routinely executed and their organs sold to 
people willing to pay $30,000 for a kidney in wealthier countries.
  What is even more troubling is that Chinese nationals living in the 
United States on student visas are marketing these organs to Americans 
and other foreigners who have the money to make the $5,000 deposit and 
they travel to China to a Red Liberation Army hospital where they 
receive the kidney using modern American medical facilities, but only 
they have been tissue-typed and the prisoner, of which they say there 
are plenty, is tissue-typed so there is a perfect match.
  The resolution that we entered yesterday condemns this practice, but 
it also calls on the administration to bar from entry any Chinese 
official who is directly involved in the practice of organ harvesting 
to the United States. Furthermore, we have called for individuals who 
are in the United States now engaged in marketing and facilitating 
these transplants to be prosecuted.
  I want to tell you some facts about this that we now know and that we 
have asked this administration to investigate and the Attorney General 
and FBI to come before Congress and present subpoenas and facts on.
  Here are some of the facts. Amnesty International, August 1997, there 
is a report that shows that China has executed at least, probably more, 
but at least 3,500 people. Because China does not have law that 
protects individual rights, a person can be arrested today for standing 
up against the Communist regime and in 48 hours after finding that they 
have a DNA match that matches someone that wants to purchase their 
kidneys, can be executed.
  A little more about the ABC report. The ABC report was a result of a 
3-month investigation. A year ago, the tapes of the mass executions 
were presented to the current administration and nothing was done. So 
this network went about looking at the evidence over a 3-month period 
and actually went to videotape the actual sales. The videotape of 
prisoners on their way to execution was made in 1992 and never intended 
to be seen outside of official circles.
  What you see on the videotape is that the guns are lined up at the 
base of the neck of the prisoners so that they can preserve the organs. 
Human rights organizations estimate that since 1990, more than 10,000 
kidneys alone from Chinese prisoners have been sold, potentially 
bringing in tens of millions of dollars to the Chinese military.
  For years, the U.S. Government has officially maintained that these 
practices do not happen, but all of our eyes were opened this last 
week. The tape shows that the prisoners were immediately lined up, that 
an officer would take and realign the guns before the executions. It 
also shows pictures of the hospitals and you go into the hospitals that 
are videoed and these hospitals are clearly shown to be PLA hospitals. 
They interviewed a Thai woman who was told that she was actually 
getting a prisoner's kidney and that she would have an absolute matched 
blood and tissue type because there were so many prisoners available. 
The tape also shows American corporation W.R. Grace Co. appears to be 
involved in the kidney dialysis in China and is a part of this 
operation.
  In conclusion, more must be done on all fronts when it comes to 
Chinese human rights record. I am pleased that the Secretary of State 
Albright has announced that we will have a three-person group of 
Americans from different denominations go and look into this and other 
violations.
  Madam Speaker, as the President of China is here, it is not the time 
to be silent. It is the time for all of Americans to stand up and speak 
out. I think America needs to watch next week as Congress stands and 
does stand up and opposes what is happening in China.
  Dr. Dai, the Chinese doctor on the American student visa quoted the 
price of a kidney at $30,000, with $5,000 required in advance.
  U.S. law makes it: ``unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, 
receive, or otherwise transfer any human organ for valuable 
consideration for use in human transplantation if the transfer affects 
interstate commerce.''
  More must be done on all fronts when it comes to China's human rights 
record and I am pleased by Secretary of State Albright's announcement 
that an ecumenical group of Americans will be permitted to travel to 
China to examine the human rights situation. This is a good first step 
but we must ensure that they are not given a whitewash.
  Two days ago, I introduced a resolution expressing a sense of the 
Congress that the Chinese Government's practice of executing prisoners 
and selling their organs for transplant patients is immoral and should 
stop.
  Two weeks ago, on ``Prime Time Live,'' a television show airing on 
ABC, Americans saw for themselves what has become an all too common 
practice of prisoners routinely executed and their organs sold to 
people willing to pay $30,000 for a kidney.
  What is even more troubling is that Chinese nationals living in the 
United States on student visas are marketing these organs to Americans 
and other foreigners who are able to make a $5,000 deposit and then 
travel to China and be admitted to a Chinese Army hospital where they 
will receive their kidney after they have been tissue and blood typed.
  According to Amnesty International's August 1997 report, China has 
executed at least 3,500 prisoners this past year and many reports say 
this number is closer to 4,000. Human rights organizations estimate 
that since 1990, more than 10,000 kidneys from Chinese prisoners have 
been sold, potentially bringing in tens of millions of dollars to the 
Chinese military.
  My resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 180, condemns this 
practice and calls upon

[[Page H9847]]

the Clinton administration to bar from entry any Chinese official who 
is directly involved in the practice of organ harvesting. Furthermore, 
individuals in the United States who are engaged in marketing and 
facilitating these transplants should be prosecuted under U.S. law.
  Mr. Speaker, as President Jiang Zemin concludes his visit to the 
United States, let's use this opportunity to speak out on China's 
dismal human rights record. Nothing will change if Congress and the 
American people are silent. The House is commonly known as the people's 
House and the American people want their voices heard. They are a 
people of compassion and good will and will not stand for organ 
harvesting or any other abuse of human rights.

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