Grand Jury Clears Planned Parenthood, Indicts Fake Tape Activists Instead

Planned Parenthood attorney Josh Schaffer said a prosecutor told him the grand jury never even voted on possible criminal charges against the nation’s largest abortion provider. In their evidence-free crusade, they have put vital health services at risk and wasted millions of taxpayer dollars.

The bill was inspired by undercover videos that alleged Planned Parenthood officials were selling fetal tissue for profit. Daleiden was also indicted on the count of prohibition of the purchase and sale of human organs, a Class-A misdemeanor, according to the Harris County district attorney in Texas. Daleiden also faces a misdemeanor related to purchasing human organs.

Zdravecky’s comments follow the indictment of two people who made the controversial recordings that claimed the group was trying to sell fetal tissue.

The committees, along with the Senate Interim Committee on the Sanctity of Life, attempted to determine whether Planned Parenthood sold aborted tissue for profit in Missouri, which is illegal. An additional eight states declined even to investigate, citing a lack of any evidence of wrongdoing. Two anti-abortion activists behind the filming of videos on fetal tissue procurement by Planned Parenthood were indicted by a Texas grand jury on Monday, while clearing the women’s health group of any wrong-doing. She said the money helps keep the lights on at Planned Parenthood. And don’t hold your breath waiting for an apology from Carly Fiorina or other Republican presidential candidates who have demagogued the issue.

The investigation began following the mention of St. Louis’ Planned Parenthood facility in a series of videos released last summer exposing the organization’s practices.

An independent analysis of the videos commissioned by Planned Parenthood found that the videos were altered. “Certainly we need to respect the grand jury’s process, but I do know there are situations where grand juries don’t get all the information, and they are going on information that is being presented to them, which is a very narrow slice of the pie”.

On Wednesday, attorneys Terry Yates and Jared Woodfill admitted they were surprised with the decision.

Crucially, the Texas statute also has a clear intent standard: A violation requires the grand jury to find that CMP made its offer to buy “knowingly and intentionally”.

Last week, Planned Parenthood filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against Daleiden and Merritt, along with the Center for Medical Progress and BioMax, and several others identified as helping create the videos.

Daleiden, the project lead for the “citizen journalist” team Center for Medical Progress, and his fellow worker Sandra Merritt, were indicted January 25 by a grand jury for “tampering with a government record”.

Planned Parenthood’s legal strategy was in some ways similar to how corporations facing major white-collar criminal investigations often cooperate closely with prosecutors to try to influence the outcome.

Daleiden plans to plead not guilty to the charges, Klasing said.

After months of jointly investigating Planned Parenthood operations in the state, two Missouri House committees released a report Wednesday calling for new regulation of abortion facilities and increased legislative oversight of abortion providers in Missouri.

He added that he was “hopeful” that Anderson will “do the right thing” and submit the charges to another grand jury.