Congressman Kevin McCarthy

2421 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Majority Leader McCarthy:

United to Support Falun Gong Practitioners’ Freedom of Belief

I write in utmost sincerity to request that you schedule a vote on House Resolution 281, which calls for an end to the deplorable practice of organ harvesting in China.

For years Chinese authorities have profited by harvesting and selling the vital organs of prisoners of conscience, including large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners and members of other persecuted religious and ethnic minorities. Multiple independent investigations estimate that tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been killed to fuel China’s lucrative organ transplant industry.

Resolution 281 calls for an end to this egregious practice. The resolution has gained over 237 cosponsors from both parties, making it the second most widely cosponsored resolution of the 113th Congress. For the last four months, we have been waiting for your office to schedule a vote on this crucial resolution. With the 113th Congress ending soon, time is running out.

Falun Gong is a peaceful practice of meditation with a moral philosophy rooted in traditional Chinese beliefs. It was once celebrated by the Chinese government for its health benefits and for promoting values of compassion and tolerance. But when Falun Gong became too popular — over 70 million people were practicing it by 1999 — communist leaders came to fear that Falun Gong was ideological competition because of its independence, popularity, and traditional spiritual content. In July 1999, the Communist Party launched a campaign to eradicate Falun Gong through extensive defamation propaganda, mass imprisonment, torture, and murder (most frequently for their organs). The atrocities continue to this day.

The House has already passed four resolutions condemning the persecution of Falun Gong in China in the last 15 years. While bilateral relations with China continue moving forward, America has in the meantime sent a clear message that this country will not be silent in the face of egregious human rights abuses.

Several other governments have already taken steps to condemn illegal organ harvesting in China. The European Parliament passed a resolution last December, and the Israeli Knesset enacted a law ending health insurance funding for transplant-related visits to China. A clear statement from the United States is long overdue.

Twenty seven years ago, President Reagan stood in Berlin and challenged Gorbachev to “tear down this wall.” His words are now immortalized, but in the moments leading up to the speech, Reagan’s national security staff and cabinet implored him not to utter them, arguing that it was too bold and provocative.

The President told his deputy chief of staff that he was determined. “The boys at State are going to kill me,” he said, “but it’s the right thing to do.”

It was indeed the right thing, and two years later, the wall did come down.

Today, House Resolution 281 can help save many innocent lives and end a modern-day atrocity in China.

Majority Leader McCarthy, you have a great opportunity to champion the cause for human rights and to let Americans and their representatives speak on this important issue by scheduling a vote on House Resolution 281.

Thank you!

Respectfully yours,

Alan Adler
Executive Director
Friends of Falun Gong USA

Friends of Falun Gong USA
24 W. Railroad Avenue #124, Tenafly, NJ 07670 201-983-2872 or 1-866-FG-FRIEND info@fofg.org http://www.fofg.org