Washington, D.C. – Tonight, the House passed H.R. 3694, Strategy to Oppose Predatory Organ Trafficking Act, which was introduced by Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI).  The legislation, which unanimously passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee in April, combats trafficking in human organs.

Upon passage of H.R. 3694, Chairman Royce said: “Rising global demand and a lack of adequate laws in other countries has fueled the growth of a worldwide black market for transplant organs. Criminal organizations and terrorist groups are increasingly engaging in this black market industry, valued at over $1 billion.  ISIS recently issued a ‘fatwa’ sanctioning forced organ harvesting from captives and those they call apostates, including Yezidis and Christians, and traffickers smuggling refugees into Europe have reportedly coerced organ donations as payment for travel.

“The U.S. has led the fight against human trafficking, with help from the Foreign Affairs Committee and its Members.  This bill continues that leadership, by closing the gap in U.S. law that currently fails to recognize organ trafficking as a form of human trafficking.”

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