David Matas on Exposing China’s Illicit Organ Trade: ‘The Problem Isn’t Too Little Evidence. It’s Too Much’

“We’ve been lying to ourselves so long, we don’t know the truth when we see it,” says international human rights lawyer David Matas. For nearly two decades now, he has been one of the leading researchers examining the evidence of the Chinese regime harvesting the organs of living Falun Gong practitioners.“The medical profession here in the U.S. needs to start looking at the facts and not simply accept Chinese government statements about how good they are at face value,” Matas says.Up to now, the United States has only passed symbolic resolutions condemning the practice of forced organ harvesting. But just yesterday night, the House passed the first ever U.S. bill with actual means to hold the perpetrators accountable.Dubbed the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023, H.R. 1154 aims to sanction anyone involved in forced organ trafficking and requires annual government reporting on such activities taking place in each foreign country.Those found to be involved will face a criminal penalty of up to $1 million and 20 years in prison. If its companion bill passes the Senate, the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act may soon make its way to President Biden’s desk.“Obviously, if you kill somebody in the U.S. for their organs, you’re going to be prosecuted. It should be the same if you leave the country and then come back,” Matas says.