The Human Rights and Medicine Forum drew an interested crowd to the University of Chicago on May 24.
Canadian Independent Investigator David Matas, coauthor of "Report into Allegations of Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners in China," Dr. Kirk C. Allison, Director of the Program in Human Rights and Health, University of Minnesota, and Falun Gong Spokesperson Zhang Erping attended the Forum. Two of the University of Chicago Student clubs, Falun Gong and Amnesty International, sponsored the Forum. The investigation of the illegal organ harvesting in China was discussed in earnest.
Dr. Allison believes evidence has shown the organ harvesting and transplant procedures in China involve cooperation from many Government departments. These departments include all levels of government, the police, the courts, the Ministry of Health, the military, the penal system and many others.
For instance, one Taiwanese patient visited China twice for a kidney transplant. There were four donors at each visit. The exact match was found with the eighth kidney. This gruesomely tells us eight people were on the execution list to find one exact match for the kidney transplant patient.
Dr. Allison also indicated that these transplants did not come directly from scheduled executed convicts. According to the spouse of the Taiwanese patient there's a large bank of prisoners as donors. The spouse said the doctor was holding a 26-page-long list of donors already pre-typed for blood group and HLA matching. The doctor then marked several donors on the list and put them in order. Further examination was performed on these selected prisoners. The transplant will be canceled if the test turned out to be positive. Otherwise, the operation will take place immediately. Allison mentioned that this is like picking your own lobster at the restaurant.
Dr. Allison said, "'That one', you see, that's what's happening, 'I want that one'."
Dozens of experts in the transplant community and students attended the Forum. Prior to the Forum, there were five to six Chinese students handing out flyers refuting the evidence of live organ harvesting in China. Zhang Erping commented on their actions, saying, "if there's any questions or doubts about the Kilgour-Matas reports, please advise the Chinese government to allow independent investigations in China to exonerate themselves against these serious charges."
Zhang said, "It is just so simple. If the Chinese government allows independent investigation from non-government organizations, medical, transplant community, and United Nations, the truth will be revealed."
Zhang believes the recent ban of illegal organ transplant from the Chinese Communist Party is equivalent to admitting the illegal organ harvesting has and will continue to occur in China.
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