(Minghui.org) Medical Genocide, a documentary on the forced organ harvesting in China, was screened at the University of Delaware on the evening of April 26, 2023. Sponsored by the university’s Rotary Club, the event took place in conjunction with the Rotary Club of Community Action Against Human Trafficking and Rotary Satellite Club to End Forced Organ Harvesting.
In the Trabant Student Centre theater, the audience learned about the soaring number of organ transplants and mysterious ample supply chain in China. Mounting evidence showed how this was related to the country’s human rights abuses and genocide. Many people were stunned to learn this and condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They said they would share the information.
Following the screening, WDEL radio host Rick Jensen moderated a forum. The panelists included Chen Zhiyu from the Taiwan Association for International Care of Organ Transplants, TAICOT; Jessica Russo with Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, DAFOH; William Huang, who was imprisoned in China for five years for practicing Falun Gong; and another Falun Gong practitioner Alex Luchansky.
Russo talked about the history and current status of the CCP-sanctioned forced organ harvesting that targets Falun Gong practitioners. When the regime started to suppress Falun Gong in July 1999, there were about 100 million practitioners. They were discriminated against and mistreated. Many were detained, imprisoned, and tortured, and some became victims of organ harvesting. Several countries have passed laws to ban transplant tourism to China, including Israel, Spain, Italy, Taiwan, Norway, Belgium, and Canada. The U.S. House of Representatives also passed H.R. 1154, the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023,” on March 27, 2023.
Students: The Importance of Facts
Chandana Elavarthi from the Rotary Club is an undergraduate student majoring in medical diagnostics. She thought the event was very important. “I feel one of the most appalling things is, we’re always taught about medical ethics and being very aware of how you’re treating your patients, so it was scary to see a lot of these doctors who are knowingly doing these, like murdering, in China,” she said. She hopes the U.S. passes laws to end such tragedies.
Another member of the Rotary Club, Monica Elavarthi, is in the MBA program. “I was very surprised to see just the sheer number of the forced organ transplants,” she remarked. “I’m glad that we were able to host this event. I hope that we’re going to be able to host more events in the future to bring awareness of that too horrible crime.”
Emily Lewie, a senior in English and linguistics, was also appalled by the documentary. “I had no idea that anything of that scale was going on anywhere in the world. I was just shocked to hear that kind of thing is happening. It was just awful,” she said, adding she would write articles to inform more people about the situation in China.
Davern Whitehurst, a sophomore in landscape architecture, commented that the activity was very informative. “I think it should be taught more, like in class,” he explained. “I actually want to talk about this in my next [school] assignment.”
Several students from China also watched the documentary and stayed for the forum. One of them said she had heard about the persecution back in China. She signed a petition calling for an end to the forced harvesting of organs from Falun Gong practitioners.
Former State House Representative Candidate: Stop the Brutality
Lynn Mey, a former candidate for the Delaware House of Representatives and a businesswoman, often traveled to China on business trips. She said it is hard to imagine the CCP had been covering up such a major crime all along.
When she heard that a bill to prevent medical insurance from reimbursing such procedures (SB1040) was passed in the Texas Senate and a companion bill (HB2045) was introduced in the House, Mey said other states could do the same. “I think that opens up the opportunity that other states can follow, and the country follows as well, to help provide humanitarian support and stop this atrocity,” she added.
Anesthesiologist: Crime Beyond Imagination
Lawrence Simons, an anesthesiologist in southern New Jersey, said this situation in China is terrible. “Being an anesthesiologist and knowing that a lot of these organ donations are happening with little or no anesthesia, the horrors are just unimaginable,” he said. “First of all, it shouldn’t be forced. And second of all, minimal or no anesthesia, it’s just torture beyond belief.”
He noted that many hospitals in the United States train Chinese surgeons in organ transplantation and said, “It goes against the Hippocratic Oath. These practices must be stopped.”
Business Owner: The CCP Is a Major Threat to the World
Zachary Bagdon, a business owner, was taken aback by the crime of forced organ harvesting. “I didn’t realize the scale of the problem,” he said. “I also didn’t realise how bad it is and how American companies and European companies are so intertwined in this trade.”
He was sorry to hear William Huang, a Ph.D. candidate at Tsinghua University, was expelled from school for his belief in Falun Gong and imprisoned for five years. Huang was also tortured and forced to work 16 hours a day without pay while he was incarcerated. Bagdon said many Americans were unaware of such things. He planned to invite Huang to share his experiences with local schools. He thinks the CCP is a major threat to the world. “It’s very disturbing to hear how many American companies and European companies are directly involved in this,” he said.
Radio Host: More Actions Are Needed
Rick Jensen, a radio talk show host, said he had been paying attention to the persecution of Falun Gong. He said that, because the CCP only cares about money, the regime has detained innocent people and killed them to sell their organs for lucrative profits.
Jensen hoped more elected officials would support legislation to end such a crime. One example is a bill that had been introduced in the U.S. Senate (S.761, a bill that mirrors H.R.1154) to stop forced organ harvesting.
