Rep. Chip Roy Introduces Bill To Award Congressional Gold Medal To Dr. Li Wenliang
Rep. Chip Roy introduced H.R. 6471 -- To posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Li Wenliang, in recognition of his efforts to save lives by drawing awareness to COVID-19 and his call for transparency in China:
Today, I am introducing legislation to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Li Wenliang.
Dr. Wenliang was the brave Wuhan doctor who first sounded the alarm about the spread of COVID-19. He warned his colleagues in the medical community over social media about the spread of a SARS-like virus.
Dr. Wenliang did so in the face of the communist Chinese government that tried nearly everything to stop him. He was detained, questioned, and forced to sign a document confessing that he spread illegal rumors.
Despite being one of the first to have knowledge of the dangerous virus, Dr. Wenliang continued to treat patients in Wuhan. Tragically, he contracted the virus himself, ultimately succumbing to it shortly thereafter.
Before he passed, Dr. Wenliang told the New York Times via text message: "If the officials had disclosed information about the epidemic earlier, I think it would have been a lot better. There should be more openness and transparency."
I am proud to author legislation to honor Dr. Wenliang -- a truly courageous doctor who saved countless lives by telling the world about the dangers of coronavirus. Awarding Congress's highest civilian award to Dr. Li would not only honor his brave action to warn other about the spread of COVID-19, but also call global attention to China's lack of transparency and censorship of speech.
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Rep. Dan Crenshaw:
"Dr. Li Wenliang spoke the truth about the coronavirus in Wuhan, a dangerous thing to do in President Xi's communist regime, and he was punished for it. After trying to warn his colleagues about the outbreak in Wuhan, Dr. Li Wenliang was detained and denounced by the Chinese Communist Party to silence him. In the face of this threat, he continued to confront coronavirus, to stop the spread and treat his fellow citizens, before ultimately succumbing to the virus he was so desperately trying to fight. Dr. Li Wenliang is deserving of this honor because of his heroic efforts to save lives and speak the truth about his own government's coverup and failure to contain the spread of coronavirus."