California charges creators of Planned Parenthood undercover videos
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has filed criminal charges against two anti-abortion activists who orchestrated undercover videos of Planned Parenthood clinics two years ago.
An arrest warrant filed Tuesday night accuses David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of creating fictitious identities and a fictitious bioresearch company and secretly recording conversations with women’s health care providers.
“The right to privacy is a cornerstone of California’s Constitution, and a right that is foundational in a free democratic society,” Becerra said in a statement. “We will not tolerate the criminal recording of confidential conversations.”
The criminal complaint said it is a felony to “intentionally and without the consent of all parties to a confidential communication, by means of an electronic amplifying and recording device, eavesdrop and record the confidential communication” with the women.
Daleiden and Merritt were charged in Harris County, Texas, last year for tampering with government records, but those charges were later dropped.
Daleiden’s sting videos, released two years ago through the Center for Medical Progress, accused Planned Parenthood clinics of profiting from the sale of fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood has strongly denied the accusations, and numerous investigations into the organization since the videos were released haven’t found any wrongdoing.
The videos strengthened efforts in Congress to cut off federal funding to Planned Parenthood — efforts that are still underway.