Arizona Lawmaker Vows to Fight Against Forced Organ Harvesting Despite Bill Veto

It was almost there—the Arizona bill, which aimed to prevent state funding for forced organ harvesting sponsored by Beijing, managed to make its way through both chambers of the Arizona Legislature with the backing of health insurers, only to be denied by the governor.

The primary sponsor of the bill, state Rep. Leo Biasiucci, expressed his shock at the decision, struggling to articulate his thoughts.

In China, a criminal industry involved in organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience, like Falun Gong practitioners, lures patients worldwide by offering extremely short waiting times, sometimes within days.

Ms. Hobbs defended her decision, citing a section in the bill that would impact healthcare institutions and research facilities by prohibiting the use of China-based genetic sequencing equipment and insurers from supporting such actions.

Related Stories

“Although I understand the bill’s intentions, it contains overly broad provisions concerning genetic sequencing equipment, which present compliance challenges for hospitals, healthcare providers, and researchers,” she mentioned in her veto letter.

Mr. Biasiucci disagreed with her assessment.

“We don’t want our DNA to be given to the Chinese government, knowing what they’re doing with forced organ harvesting,” he stated.

Questioning the use of equipment from foreign adversaries by hospitals and universities, Mr. Biasiucci asked, “Isn’t it our responsibility to stop acquiring” them?

‘Very Disappointing’

Mr. Biasiucci wasn’t the only one disheartened by the outcome.

“To witness it reach this stage— all the amendments, all that transpired— only for it to be vetoed suddenly. It’s very disappointing,” shared Diana Molovinsky of Phoenix Falun Dafa Association, who has advocated for the bill’s approval.

“The majority wanted this bill to pass, and I believe the people of Arizona wanted it too.”

She further mentioned that doctors, upon learning about the issue, sought guidance on how to contribute.

“We were hoping this bill would empower them in that regard.”

In March, Ms. Molovinsky spoke at a senate committee meeting about how Falun Gong, a spiritual practice advocating peaceful meditation and moral values like truthfulness and compassion, became a target of persecution by the Chinese government.

She noted, “They don’t use drugs, they don’t smoke, they don’t drink alcohol, they live a generally healthy lifestyle,” pointing out that due to their large numbers, estimated to be up to 100 million, their organs were highly sought after in China.

During the same meeting, Phoenix resident Ding Huiling, a Falun Gong practitioner who faced arrests and detentions in China, shared that her husband’s younger brother was arrested for refusing to renounce the belief and has since disappeared, causing her great concern for his safety.

“Others envied him for the special treatment he received for apparent health checks, but we knew it was for organ matching purposes,” he explained.

“Numerous Falun Gong practitioners have died due to persecution in China, including those whose organs were harvested while they were still alive,” he informed state lawmakers. “My father could be a future victim.”

Keep Trying

Both Mr. Biasiucci and Ms. Molovinsky wished the governor had discussed her concerns about the bill with them beforehand.

“The veto letter caught us off guard,” Mr. Biasiucci mentioned. “You would assume they’d communicate with you during the legislative process of the bill so that any issues could be addressed and corrected. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen with this bill.”

As the state legislature won’t consider any new bills until January 2025, bill supporters must wait for nearly a year before attempting again.

The Arizona governor’s office did not respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times at the time of publication.

However, she saw a silver lining. Thanks to the bill, Arizona lawmakers are now aware of forced organ harvesting.

“Now they understand this is a real issue, not just a rumor or rogue doctors in back alleys; this is government-sanctioned by China,” she commented.

Mr. Biasiucci experienced a similar change in mindset when he delved into the topic.

“It’s such a terrible thing, and nobody wants to believe it’s happening,” he stated.

His next step is to reach out to the governor to seek her support.

Despite the setback, he finds it essential to push for the bill as it brings media attention and increases public awareness.

“I’m not giving up on getting this bill passed,” he affirmed. “We must put an end to it, and the more people talk about it, the better off we’ll be.”