Two anti-abortion activists can finally relax after months of battling for their innocence. The court has dropped all charges against these two who falsified documents in order to catch on camera Planned Parenthood's alleged illegal activities.
David Daleiden, 27, and Sandra Meritt, 63, falsified documents so that they can film their meeting with Planned Parenthood as undercover buyers of fetal tissue. The pro-life advocates speculate that the health care provider is illegally selling fetal tissue from abortioned infants to medical researchers.
As per The New York Times, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick ordered an investigation of Planned Parenthood on August after Daleiden and Meritt's video of the meeting went viral online. However, the grand jury shifted to Daleiden and Meritt who they indicted on felony charges of tampering governmental records with the intent to defraud and an additional misdemeanor count on Daleiden who also offered to buy human organs in the video.
One of Daleiden's lawyers argued that the charges are flawed because Meritt and Daleiden were indicted during the grand jury's extension period. According to Daleiden's lawyers, Texas law does not allow new targets of investigation to be added during an extension period.
The prosecutors saw the merit of the argument and dropped all charges against Daleiden and Meritt. The two are happy that they're finally free from charges. Nonetheless, Daleiden did not miss the opportunity to call out Planned Parenthood that it should be the one punished.
"I'm glad the First Amendment rights of all citizen journalists have been vindicated today. And I would just note that Planned Parenthood is still under investigation by the United States Congress, as they should be because they are the real criminals in this matter," Daleiden said after the hearing as quoted by USA Today.
In a statement, Planned Parenthood is dismayed over the court's decision of dropping the charges because of a technicality. They maintained that Daleiden and Meritt secretly filmed them with the intention to discredit their company and malign their name.
"They spread malicious lies about Planned Parenthood in order to advance their anti-abortion agenda. The decision to drop the prosecution on a technicality does not negate the fact that the only people who engaged in wrongdoing are the extremists behind this fraud," President and Chief Executive of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast said in a statement as quoted by New York Times.
As per Planned Parenthood's official site, it has been trusted for nearly a 100 years. Its primary goal is to promote a commonsense approach to women's health with respect for every individual's right to decide for themselves on matters about health, sex and family planning. The health care provider's services include preventing unwanted pregnancies through contraception, reducing spread of STDs through testing and treatment and screening for cancer, most especially cervical cancer.
According to Washington Times, Daleiden is the founder of Center for Medical Progress while Meritt is one of his investigators. The two defended themselves last February as taking the position of undercover investigative journalists and that they should not be treated as criminals. Planned Parenthood, argued on the other hand, that not only did the anti-abortion advocates tamper government documents, they also fabricated the truth when they found no evidence to the alleged fetal selling business.
Which side do you think is telling the truth: the anti-abortion activists or Planned Parenthood? Sound off your thoughts in the Comments section below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.
