When facts are known, accusations against Planned Parenthood fall apart
Unlike a legion of politicians, a grand jury in Texas was compelled to rely on factual information as it considered whether Planned Parenthood had broken laws prohibiting making a profit from the sale of fetal tissue and fetal organs.
Planned Parenthood did nothing wrong, the jurors decided. But they indicted two persons involved in the production of deceptive videos that set off a wave of fury against the women’s health provider.
David R. Daleiden, 27, the director of the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress, and an employee, Sandra S. Merritt, 62, face felony charges of tampering with a governmental record. They are accused of making and presenting fake California driver’s licenses. Daleiden also faces a misdemeanor charge related to purchasing human organs.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had ordered the grand jury probe, seeking charges against Planned Parenthood after Daleiden’s group released doctored undercover video shot inside a Houston Planned Parenthood clinic.
The panel’s refusal to be swayed by emotion or politics is a reminder that an independent judicial process is one of our nation’s greatest assets.
That’s especially true in a time when too many politicians are willing to abandon restraint and fairness.
Daleiden’s videos, which purported to show Planned Parenthood employees engaged in the illegal sale of fetal tissue and body parts, have touched off multiple investigations. Republicans in the U.S. Congress and many state leaders have used them to demand that the women’s health provider be stripped of government funds, including reimbursement for care to Medicaid patients.
Investigations have found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood in at least 11 states, including Missouri and Kansas. But that hasn’t stopped the incendiary speech and actions.
Two weeks ago, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback declared in his State of the State speech that “Planned Parenthood’s trafficking of baby body parts is antithetical to our belief in human dignity.”
In Missouri, pressure from a politically motivated legislative investigation caused University of Missouri officials to revoke hospital privileges for a doctor who performed non-surgical abortions at Planned Parenthood’s Columbia clinic. Senate officials are threatening to hold two persons in contempt for refusing to testify at hearings.
Debunked accusations that Planned Parenthood harvests baby parts for sale continue to ring in both state Capitols. The officials repeating that fallacy are acting irresponsibly. A gunman who admitted killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic in November reportedly explained his actions to police by saying “No more baby parts.”
In response to the charges, Daleiden issued a statement saying his group follows all applicable laws and “uses the same undercover techniques as investigative journalists.”
Not true. The age of the Internet has stretched the definition of who exactly is a journalist. But credible news organizations rarely use undercover techniques. A long campaign of false pretenses, deceptive editing and other shady tactics used by Daleiden to deliberately mislead the public are out of bounds for reputable journalists.
So is breaking the law, if that’s what happened.
This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 2:23 PM.