(Minghui.org) On June 2, 2024, a rally was held outside the American Transplant Congress (ATC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, calling for an immediate end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) live organ harvesting.

Participants included representatives of Doctors Against Live Organ Harvesting (DAFOH), elected officials, scholars, and local Falun Dafa practitioners. They called on governments to develop stronger policies, raise public awareness, and take unified action to end this human rights violation by the CCP.

Rally outside the American Transplant Congress (ATC) on June 2, 2024, calling for an immediate end to the CCP’s live organ harvesting.

DAFOH had applied to attend the ATC conference, but was denied.

Elected Officials: Immediately Take Action to End the Live Organ Harvesting

Delaware state representative Mike Ramone, House Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate, expressed strong support for the rally. “It is imperative that we bring attention to these heinous acts,” Ramone told the media. “We cannot stand idly by while such gross human rights violations continue.”

Delaware state representative Mike Ramone addressed the rally.

Mr. Ramone introduced Resolution HCR 143 to the Delaware General Assembly, which condemns forced organ harvesting practices in China, and said, “This isn’t a political topic. This is a topic of murder ... When horrific things are going on in our world, we must use the energy and resources we have to communicate and act against such atrocities.”

He also commented on the exclusion of DAFOH from ATC, saying, “I don’t understand enough about why they were being played off as if they’re not relevant. [The ATC] are trying to give excuses. We don’t give excuses in our country; we take action.”

Mr. Ramone further called on the international community to apply pressure on China, “We need to stop the behavior and the practice in their country. We do it everywhere. We’re supposed to be the beacon of humanity; this is our chance to shine that light.”

Aaron Bashir, a U.S. Congress candidate for Pennsylvania’s 2nd district, stressed the need for legislative measures to combat forced organ harvesting. “We need to ensure that our laws reflect our values and that we take a firm stance against such atrocities,” he said.

Aaron Bashir, a U.S. Congress candidate for Pennsylvania’s 2nd district, addressed the rally.

Mr. Bashir called for bipartisan support to pass laws that would protect human rights globally. He said, “We are tired of this forced human organ harvesting; it must be stopped.” He also called on the U.S. government to stop all funding to institutes involved in these practices.

Emphasizing the need for ethical behavior within the medical community, Mr. Bashir said, “The medical community should completely boycott all those people that are coming from China and then go back to be forced by the government to get involved in these practices.” “The international community must hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable, because this regime has killed many people, persecuted many people, and more people need to speak out about it.”

Academic and Medical Circles Call to Stop the CCP’s Atrocities

Mark Thomas, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at La Salle University, likened the forced organ harvesting to historical atrocities. “I view what the Chinese government is doing to political prisoners and Falun Gong, Christians, and Uyghurs as equating to what Josef Mengele did to the Jews during the Holocaust,” Dr. Thomas said.

Mark Thomas, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at La Salle University, addressed the rally.

He emphasized the unethical nature of these practices, noting, “This type of practice undermines the basics of the Hippocratic Oath for a doctor to do no harm.” Dr. Thomas further elaborated on the need for international sanctions, saying, “We need to get every individual country to sanction China for what is a basic human rights violation.”

He also highlighted the importance of the rally’s location, “We’re standing in front of a medical conference. Hopefully we’ll catch a few doctors, nurses, medical professionals, maybe some companies that work with the Chinese and say, ‘Hey, take a real re-look at what you’re doing.”

Dr. Thomas urged the medical community to stop cooperating with the Chinese regime, “We really need to ask our government here in the U.S. to pass some laws. We need to really push these professionals to use their influence with Congress and the Senate to stop this practice.”

Dana Churchill, N.M.D., a DAFOH delegate for the U.S. West Coast, spoke passionately about the moral responsibility of the medical community. “Doctors must uphold the highest ethical standards and speak out against these crimes.” “There is a resolution in Congress right now. Speaker Johnson said, I think, he’s going to put it through for a vote soon. So, the noose around the Chinese government is getting tighter. And we’re going to be able to force them to stop soon and bring them to justice.”

Dana Churchill, N.M.D., a DAFOH delegate for the U.S. West Coast, addressed the rally.

Dr. Churchill said, “We want those surgeons in there that don’t really know what’s going on to be informed.” He also addressed the importance of international collaboration, and said, “Resolutions, proclamations, and bills blocking citizens from going to China for organs are necessary steps.”

Dr. Churchill suspected the real reason could be the boycott threat from the Chinese regime. “I know a lot of the Chinese companies are there with their booth numbers … That’s often what they do, they threaten, they threaten everybody,” he said.

He stressed the importance of educating the medical community, “We have a 68-page booklet detailing from the beginning of organ harvesting in 2001 till now, and we’ve handed out a lot of those booklets today.”

Activists and Organizers Speak Out

Alejandro Centurion, MD, associate director of medical affairs at DAFOH, stressed the importance of medical ethics. “We have a duty to ensure that medical practices adhere to ethical norms and do not contribute to human rights violations,” said Dr. Centurion. “Doctors around the world must unite to uphold ethical standards and refuse to engage in practices that violate human rights.” He also stated, “It is essential that we do not turn a blind eye to these atrocities and that we hold those responsible accountable.”

Alejandro Centurion, MD, associate director of medical affairs at DAFOH, addressed the rally.

Dr. Centurion underscored the urgency of addressing forced organ harvesting and called for international cooperation to end these practices. “The crime of forced organ harvesting has been taking place in China now for over 20 years. And it is unconscionable that the world community, the medical community, has not done enough to end these crimes,” he said.

“The evidence is undeniable—what’s happening in China and the evidence that these crimes continue today. They did not end in 2015, as the Chinese government would want the world to believe. This is simply not true,” Dr. Centurion added.

Alex Luchansky, the rally organizer and a representative for the Greater Philadelphia Falun Dafa Association, emphasized the importance of grassroots activism. “Local and global actions are both vital in the fight against forced organ harvesting,” Mr. Luchansky noted. He said, “I’m a grandson of a Holocaust survivor ... without raising awareness we cannot stop these crimes against humanity.”

Alex Luchansky, the rally organizer and a representative for the Greater Philadelphia Falun Dafa Association, addressed the rally.

Mr. Luchansky urged the international community to learn from countries like Israel and Taiwan, which have banned transplant tourism, and to implement similar measures globally.

He also stressed the importance of the rally in educating medical professionals, saying, “We would like to let people know because once they know their heart will tell them what to do.” Mr. Luchansky encouraged Chinese doctors to remember their ethical obligations, urging them to, “not participate in and help, don’t obey the regime.” He called for greater international cooperation, “The international community needs to get together, share the important facts and evidence, and decouple from the genocidal regime.”

Rally outside the American Transplant Congress (ATC) on June 2, 2024, calling for an immediate end to the CCP’s live organ harvesting.

Raising Public Awareness

Larry Daigle, a mobile billboard truck driver from York, Pennsylvania, was one of the passersby who found the rally eye-opening. “I’m learning a lot of information that I never knew existed,” Mr. Daigle said. “I was given information to read at my leisure, and I’m really looking forward to finding out more about what’s going on in the world.”

He emphasized the need for widespread awareness, “This type of program needs to get out to everybody, not just here. It needs to be for the younger kids to learn. We can’t shelter them because this is what the world is.”

Mr. Daigle was deeply moved by the information presented, saying, “Humans should not be used for what they’re being used for [organ transplant] ... We need peace, but we have to start somewhere.”

He rated the importance of the rally, “On a scale of one to ten, I would give it a ten-plus. The more knowledge and the more that these doctors can get their information out to everybody, the better off everyone would be.”

Dr. Centurion also commented on the effectiveness of the rally in raising awareness. He noted that many doctors, including some from China, stopped by to ask for information, highlighting that numerous medical professionals were unaware of the forced organ harvesting crimes. “That’s one of the reasons we’re very concerned,” he explained, and said that the lack of awareness among doctors was alarming.

He shared an instance of a Chinese doctor who not only took the information but also signed a petition, an act that could potentially put his life at risk if discovered by the Chinese regime. Dr. Centurion expressed pride in the courage shown by this doctor and believed that such actions could help spread awareness back in China. He encouraged everyone to raise awareness by talking to colleagues, friends, family, and government officials to help expose and combat this crime.

“Because this is the greatest violation of medical ethics, and we must bring it to an end,” said Dr. Centurion.