This law aims to stop the illegal practice of harvesting organs from people against their will, particularly targeting countries and individuals involved in this crime. The bill defines forced organ harvesting as taking organs from someone through coercion, kidnapping, deception, fraud, or taking advantage of vulnerable people. It also covers situations where people are trafficked specifically so their organs can be removed.

The law gives the U.S. government several tools to fight this practice. The State Department can deny or revoke passports for people convicted of organ trafficking crimes. The government must also start tracking and reporting on forced organ harvesting in countries around the world as part of regular human rights assessments. Within six months, the President must create a list of individuals and organizations that fund or help facilitate organ harvesting, and then impose serious penalties on them—including freezing their U.S. assets, banning them from entering the country, and canceling their visas.

These sanctions are designed to be tough but include some exceptions. The government can still allow humanitarian aid, food, medicine, and essential services to flow to affected areas even if sanctions are in place. The President can also temporarily waive sanctions for up to 180 days at a time if doing so is necessary for national security. The law specifically mentions holding members of the Chinese Communist Party accountable, reflecting concerns about organ harvesting practices in China. Anyone who violates these sanctions faces criminal penalties.

Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023

Smith, Christopher H.

Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023 This bill imposes sanctions on persons (individuals and entities) involved in forced organ trafficking and authorizes the Department of State to revoke the passports of individuals convicted of certain crimes related to organ trafficking. Specifically, the President must report to Congress a list of persons that facilitate (1) forced organ harvesting, or (2) trafficking in persons for organ harvesting. For each person on the list, the President must impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions. Furthermore, the State Department may deny or revoke the passport of an individual who has been convicted of a federal crime of knowingly transferring any human organ for valuable consideration for use in human transplantation, if the individual (1) is subject to imprisonment or supervised release resulting from that conviction, and (2) used a passport or crossed an international border when committing that crime.