State Rep. Jennifer Wortz announced legislation – House Bill 5406 – that would prohibit insurers and Medicaid from covering organ transplants performed in, or using organs sourced from, countries that engage in forced organ harvesting, specifically China.

“This legislation ensures that no Michigan dollars are unintentionally funding horrific human rights abuses overseas,” said Wortz, R-Quincy. “By restricting coverage for transplants tied to forced organ harvesting, Michigan is drawing a clear line and saying we will not tolerate these atrocities.”

Peer-reviewed research has documented credible evidence that China permits the forcible harvesting of organs from living donors. A study published in the American Journal of Transplantation found evidence strongly suggesting that organ removal has been used as a means of execution.

Under Wortz’s plan, insurers and Medicaid would be prohibited from covering transplant surgeries performed in, or using organs originating from, China or any other country determined to have participated in forced organ harvesting. Those determinations would be made by the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

“Organ transplantation should save lives, not end a life through forced exploitation,” Wortz said. “This bill ensures Michigan’s health care system is not complicit in practices that violate basic human rights.”

Five other states – Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Texas, and Tennessee – have enacted similar restrictions. Legislation is also currently pending in Wisconsin.

“My hope is that Michigan and other states will enact similar legislation so that we can ban this practice nationwide,” Wortz concluded.

###