On May 5, the U.S. House of Representatives once again passed the Falun Gong Protection Act (H.R. 1540) by voice vote, taking a decisive stand against what lawmakers called one of the most “horrifying” human rights atrocities of our time — the forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The bill, which passed without a single objection, authorizes sanctions on individuals involved in or facilitating the involuntary removal of organs from detained Falun Gong practitioners in China. The penalties range from blocking entry into the U.S. and revoking visas, to fines of up to $1 million and prison sentences of up to 20 years.
“For 25 years, the Chinese Communist Party has waged a brutal campaign against Falun Gong practitioners — marked by torture, imprisonment, murder, and the abhorrent practice of forced organ harvesting,” said Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas). “This is not only a staggering assault on religious freedom, but also one of the most pressing human rights crises of our time.”
RELATED: House of Representatives Passes ‘Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act’
Confronting barbarism
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. It also incorporates meditation exercises and moral teachings to elevate the moral standing of practitioners. Despite being peaceful in nature, the CCP launched a large-scale suppression of the group in 1999 after seeing its popularity, which was estimated at 70 to 100 million practitioners, as a threat to its authoritarian control.
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Reports of mass incarceration, torture, and the industrialized harvesting of organs from detained Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience have continued unabated for over two decades.
The lead sponsor of the bill, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), emphasized the urgency of action. “There has to be some consequence to this barbaric and horrific behavior,” said Perry. “The United States should be a leader and show the world the way. We must do it and force the rest of the world to acknowledge it.”
In a previous interview with Vision Times, Perry emphasized the importance of confronting the CCP’s abuses head-on. “We need to acknowledge that this is happening so that we can do something to stop it,” said Perry, adding, “Falun Gong practitioners are not only subjected to torture and murder, they’re literally [having their organs] stolen from them and then sold in the open market.”
“HR 1540 is a historic step forward — the first binding commitment by Congress to take decisive legal action against the persecution and forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners,” Perry said in a floor speech. “This bill paves the way for accountability, sanctions, punishment and acknowledgement — acknowledgement of those complicit in these atrocities.”
A moral imperative
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), a co-sponsor of the bill and member of the House Select Committee on the CCP, underscored the ethical necessity of the legislation.
“Sanctioning perpetrators of forced organ harvesting is a moral imperative,” Bilirakis told The Epoch Times. “In doing so, we can take a powerful stand against a horrific crime that violates the sanctity of life and human dignity.”
He added that the legislation affirms “the fundamental right to bodily autonomy and the shared values of humanity.”
The bill also drew support from across the aisle, in a rare show of bipartisan unity. Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) said he was “proud to see such wide bipartisan support for this effort,” while Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) called the CCP’s acts “barbaric” and stressed that “the U.S. must not tolerate these atrocities.”
A growing consensus
The legislation directs the U.S. government to work with allies and multilateral bodies to coordinate targeted sanctions and visa restrictions — and instructs the federal government to avoid cooperation with China on organ transplantation as long as the CCP remains in power.
RELATED: Media, Experts Speak With First Known Survivor of Forced Organ Harvesting in China
In addition, the bill mandates a report within a year from the Secretaries of State and Health and Human Services, alongside the NIH, to look into and detail China’s transplant practices. The report must evaluate how the regime’s policies apply to Falun Gong and other prisoners of conscience, estimate transplant volume, organ wait times, sources, and whether these actions qualify as an atrocity under the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018.
Over the past two years, at least three U.S. states have enacted laws banning health insurers from funding organ transplant surgeries performed in China. In 2023, the House passed its first bill addressing forced organ harvesting in general, paving the way for the more targeted Falun Gong Protection Act.
The House vote came just before debate on another related measure, the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act” (H.R. 1503), introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who has long advocated against organ trafficking. That bill passed the House in early 2023.
RELATED: Another Witness Comes Forward to Expose Forced Organ Harvesting in China
A pattern of abuse
“Of all the unconscionable atrocities committed by the CCP, this has to be the vilest,” said Smith. “Forced organ harvesting is murder masquerading as medicine.”
Smith’s bill broadens the scope to address global organ trafficking and would require U.S. officials to assess and respond to organ harvesting practices in other nations, particularly those that involve coercion or abuse of power.
He cited Sir Geoffrey Nice’s independent tribunal, which concluded that forced organ harvesting in China has occurred “throughout China on a significant scale.” According to Smith, victims often lose multiple organs — “between two to six internal organs per victim are extracted.”
Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, “This is a billion-dollar black market built on murder. It’s a direct assault on every principle of human dignity and decency.”
He added, “To the perpetrators in this depraved industry, we are coming after you. A human body is not a currency. It’s not a commodity. It’s never for sale.”
Senate urged to act
Though both the “Falun Gong Protection Act” and the “Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act” passed the House in a previous session, the Senate failed to act, leaving the legislation at a standstill. Lawmakers are now urging the Senate to take immediate action.
“What are you waiting for?” Perry asked. “What’s the reason for being against it? Is there some good reason? If you’re worried about the relations of America with the Communist Party of China, are you then telling everybody in the world you’re OK with them killing people and taking their organs out just because they can?”
He added, “Your first reaction is horror, that this is actually happening. And then, your second reaction is, why isn’t somebody doing something about this? Like, how can this be? And so it becomes your duty, I think, at some point.”
As Falun Gong practitioners continue to be persecuted inside China, U.S. lawmakers are hoping that this act will not only impose consequences but also create international momentum. “No faith group should be persecuted and treated as an organ bank for a totalitarian regime,” said Rep. Gooden. “The United States must lead with moral clarity and stand firmly against the CCP’s crimes against humanity.”
The bill now moves onto the Senate, where if passed, it will proceed to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
“He’s going to understand that forcibly taking a person’s organs out is unacceptable at any level,” said Perry. “There’s no possible explanation that can justify it.”
