TWO ANTI-ABORTION activists who made undercover videos alleging Planned Parenthood illegally sold foetal tissue to researchers for a profit face criminal charges in Texas from a grand jury that also found no wrongdoing by the abortion provider.
The Houston grand jury, which was empaneled to investigate Planned Parenthood after the Centre for Medical Progress released its undercover footage last year, indicted the centre’s founder and another activist.
The indictment was the first time anyone with the anti-abortion group has been charged criminally since the videos began surfacing last year.
The videos provoked outrage among Republican leaders nationwide and prompted investigations by Republican-led committees in Congress and by GOP-led state governments. Planned Parenthood officials have denied any wrongdoing and have said the videos were misleadingly edited.
Centre for Medical Progress CEO David Daleiden and activist Sandra Merritt each face a felony charge of tampering with a governmental record, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Daleiden also faces a misdemeanour count related to purchasing human organs.
The centre’s footage from the Planned Parenthood clinic in Houston showed people pretending to be from a company called BioMax that procures foetal tissue for research touring the facility. Planned Parenthood has said that the fake company sent an agreement offering to pay the “astronomical amount” of $1,600 for organs from a foetus.
The clinic said it never entered into the agreement and ceased contact with BioMax because it was “disturbed” by the overtures.
In a statement announcing the indictment, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson did not provide details on the charges, including what record or records were allegedly tampered with.
Her office said it could not disclose more information, and it was unclear when the indictments would be made public.
“We were called upon to investigate allegations of criminal conduct by Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast,” Anderson, an elected Republican, said in her statement.
“As I stated at the outset of this investigation, we must go where the evidence leads us.”
Daleiden issued a statement saying his group “uses the same undercover techniques” as investigative journalists and follows all applicable laws.
“We respect the processes of the Harris County District Attorney, and note that buying foetal tissue requires a seller as well,” he said.
“This is absolutely great news because it is a demonstration of what Planned Parenthood has said from the very beginning: We follow every law and regulation and these anti-abortion activists broke multiple laws to try and spread lies,” said spokeswoman Rochelle Tafolla of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.
The Texas video was the fifth released by the Centre for Medical Progress.
Despite the centre’s lofty name, public filings suggest only a small number of people are affiliated with the nonprofit, none of whom are scientists or physicians engaged in advancing medical treatments.
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