HOUSTON, Texas, Jan. 25, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A grand jury reviewing a case of misconduct against Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast has found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Instead, that grand jury has indicted two undercover photographers who produced “sting” videos intended to discredit Planned Parenthood.
The two people indicted, David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, are anti-abortion activists whose organization, The Center for Medical Progress, released the now-viral videos. The videos, released last April, alleged that Planned Parenthood illegally profited from the sale of donated fetal tissue.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office investigated the allegations for more than two months, as did the Houston Police Department and the Texas Rangers. The grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast of breaking the law.
Daleiden and Merritt have been indicted for Tampering with a Governmental Record, a felony. Daleidan was also indicted for Prohibition of the Purchase and Sale of Human Organs, which means he illegally offered to purchase human organs, and his offer was captured on his video. That act is a Class A misdemeanor.
A spokeswoman for the Houston branch of Planned Parenthood said the decision made her Planned Parenthood office feel vindicated.
“It’s great news because it demonstrates what we have said from the very beginning, which is that Planned Parenthood is following every rule and regulation, and that these people came into our buildings under the guise of health when their true intentions were to spread lies,” spokeswoman Rochelle Tafolla told The Houston Chronicle.
“We’re glad that these extremists have been indicted for breaking the law…. These individuals broke the law and committed fraud in order to spread lies about Planned Parenthood and today they’re going to be held accountable for breaking those laws.”
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert cited the videos in question as part of the reason behind his decision to defund the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah.
PPAU filed an appeal to Herbert’s decision, which was declined by a Utah judge. The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit last month granted an injunction that will keep Herbert from cutting federal funds previously awarded to PPAU, at least until the appeals process is completed.
