The state of Texas has passed a law that will ban health coverage of organ transplants from China and other countries that engage in forced organ harvesting and black-market organ tourism. The aim of the law is to oppose the practices of forced organ harvesting in China and other countries where the practice is known. The other is to bring awareness to this human rights abuse in China, and other countries, from prisoners of those states. 

State Senator Lois Kolkhorst filed the bill that became law to bring awareness to the human rights abuses of forced organ harvesting in China. The Falun Gong practice has 70 million to 100 million adherents that focus on spiritual enlightenment through truth, morality, and tolerance. But also part of their practice is mental and physical well-being. This makes them a target for healthy organs. Once prisoners, they are marked for their biology to later be matched to an organ demand. 

Unregulated organ harvesting in China generates around 1 billion annually for the CCP. 

The beliefs of Falun Gong make them a threat to the CCP like many other people groups including the Uighur Muslims, Christians, political opponents, and more. Hundreds of millions of people are subjected to imprisonment, sterilization, re-education camps, forced labor, and brutal torture. 

The new law will prohibit health benefit plans for medical and surgical costs and health coverage and insurance from covering the cost of organ transplants from China or other countries that proliferate forced organ harvesting. The law applies to every health benefit plan in the state of Texas related to medical or surgical expenses, that Texas can regulate. The State Health Services Commissioner of Texas can add and remove nations that engage in this inhuman practice. 

Although this is not a big dent in the human rights abuse of forced organ transplants, Texas is trying to do its part to ban organ tourism on the black market and prevent Texans from unknowingly supporting this evil. 

“Forced organ harvesting is a horrific practice. This bill not only brings this issue to more light but also prevents Texans and Texas health plans from unknowingly becoming complicit in forced organ harvesting. Because health plans are regulated at the state level, Texas holds a powerful tool to combat the hideous industrial-scale practice of forced organ harvesting, particularly those of persecuted religious groups in China,” said Kolkhorst

Even the United States House of Representatives passed a bill that would sanction anyone or organization that commits forced organ harvesting. This includes patients who acquire organs from these countries or go to the countries to retrieve them. The penalties are either a civil charge of $250,000 or a criminal charge of 1 million and 20 years in prison. If this becomes law, China would have to report forced organ harvesting to the United States in order to receive foreign assistance.