Copyright Baltimore Sun
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. deserves praise for his bold action to restore the sanctity of human life in America’s organ transplant system. Under his leadership, Health and Human Services (HHS) exposed violations of the “dead donor rule” in U.S. hospitals, where organs were taken from donors who may not have been fully deceased. This moral courage — demonstrated by decertifying two federally funded organ procurement organizations and implementing comprehensive reforms — represents exactly the kind of principled leadership needed to address an even more disturbing reality: American institutions are working with Chinese entities that, quietly or overtly, are tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s forced organ harvesting industry. The domestic violations Kennedy addressed pale in comparison to transplant realities in China. If there ever was any doubt about the CCP’s culpability, it became clear in the recent hot mic moment when Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin were caught discussing “continual organ transplantation” to achieve a possible 150-year lifespan. 150 years is the longevity target of the “981 Project,” which aims to extend the lives of the CCP’s elites. With this in full view, what better time than now to address communist China’s systemic killing of prisoners of conscience for their organs? Armstrong Williams powerfully explained China’s transplant industry in The Baltimore Sun in September, with HHS responding on X: “In China, forced organ harvesting of prisoners has continued for over 20 years. To affirm the sanctity of human life, America must sever its ties with China’s organ transplant system.” American involvement The U.S.-China transplant connection is extensive. Hundreds of Chinese organ transplant surgeons have trained in major American institutions, from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to Mount Sinai Health System, which have formal partnerships with Chinese transplant centers, sharing expertise and giving them a false air of legitimacy. In a May 2025 letter to Harvard’s president, the House Select Committee on the CCP wrote that they had “identified multiple instances where Harvard researchers worked with Chinese researchers on organ transplantation-related research” — some of which was NIH-funded. China’s transplant industry also relies on Western technology. Most of China’s organ preservation solutions, surgical instruments, immunosuppressive drugs and transplant diagnostics come from the U.S. or Europe, and fueled China’s transplant boom during the height of forced organ harvesting, according to the Institute to Research the Crimes of Communism. All of this casual U.S. engagement with a foreign transplant industry that systemically violates the dead donor rule has led to a softening of ethical protections in the American system. A recent New York Times op-ed by prominent cardiologists that advocates for redefining death to increase organ availability is a case in point. Extending Kennedy’s reforms internationally Kennedy’s domestic reforms offer a model for action. HHS imposed penalties on an American organ procurement organization after finding that 29% of its cases showed “concerning features.” It also instituted wider reforms like mandatory patient safety officers, enhanced monitoring and zero tolerance for violations. These should extend to international partnerships as well. For example, the U.S. could stop enabling China’s industrial-scale violations. Of course, HHS has no jurisdiction over China, but it can ensure American entities aren’t involved through the lever of funding, similar to how the Trump administration recently terminated $2 billion in grants to Harvard for civil rights violations and policy misalignment. No American institution should collaborate with Chinese transplant programs until forced organ harvesting ends. No NIH grant should support research involving Chinese transplant centers or personnel. Legislation can also be enacted. One option could follow the Wolf Amendment model, which restricts NASA’s cooperation with China to protect sensitive technologies. A similar law could bar U.S. health agencies, universities, hospitals and companies from working with Chinese transplant entities unless they can prove ethical sourcing. This would build on two promising federal bills — the Falun Gong Protection Act and the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act. They both passed the U.S. House in May and now await Senate approval. If passed, these laws would impose sanctions and revoke passports for individuals linked to Chinese organ trafficking, marking the strongest U.S. response to this crisis yet. Additional federal legislation to prevent health insurance from paying for Chinese transplants, mirroring some state-level efforts, is also advancing. These efforts should be pushed forward. Rebuilding trust through moral clarity Kennedy rightly insists that “every American should feel safe becoming an organ donor and giving the gift of life.” This moral clarity demands that American expertise, technology and funding never enable the murder of prisoners for their organs. China’s transplant system — built on coercion and opacity — contradicts the ethical standards that we believe in the West: respect for human life, informed consent and medical integrity. Public trust is at stake. After reports of domestic organ procurement violations surfaced in July and August 2025, a 700% surge was reported in donor registration removals from the National Donate Life Registry. Rebuilding confidence is both a moral and practical necessity. Kennedy’s reforms prioritize ethics and patient safety over institutional pressures. America’s moral leadership requires severing ties with systems that kill innocent people to profit from their organs. These ties may be entrenched by doing what’s right, not what’s easy — that’s the path forward. Only then can we ensure, as Kennedy declared, that “every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.”
