Months ago, an organization called the Center for Medical Progress released a video that claimed to show that Planned Parenthood was selling parts of aborted fetuses for profit. Senators and anti-abortion groups responded by vilifying Planned Parenthood, even though the videos were later found to be manipulated. In fact, numerous federal and state-level investigations all showed that Planned Parenthood was not, in fact, engaged in selling body parts. We covered that controversy here.
Screenshot from doctored video from the Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group
Harris County, Texas launched an investigation into the claims of misconduct on the part of Planned Parenthood. However, digging into the details of the videos backfired on the Center for Medical Progress – Planned Parenthood was cleared of all allegations, while two leaders of the anti-abortion group were indicted on charges of record-tampering, including using fake California IDs to defraud Planned Parenthood centers, and misdemeanor charges of offering to buy human organs.
David Daleiden, 27, the leader of the CMP was indicted, as well as another center employee, Sandra Merritt, 62. Never willing to give up, even in the face of blatant evidence otherwise, Daleiden made the following statement on Monday, January 25th:
“The Center for Medical Progress uses the same undercover techniques that investigative journalists have used for decades in exercising our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and of the press, and follows all applicable laws. We respect the processes of the Harris County district attorney, and note that buying fetal tissue requires a seller as well. Planned Parenthood still cannot deny the admissions from their leadership about fetal organ sales captured on video for all the world to see.”