Appearing in court Tuesday with his attorneys, who were set to argue that felony charges against him and another Christian pro-life activist should be quashed, David Daleiden got some unexpected good news.
All charges against him have now been dropped by the Harris County (Texas) District Attorney’s Office. Daleiden and investigator Sandra Merritt had each faced up to 20 years in prison for their part in exposing Planned Parenthood’s sale of aborted baby body parts and tissue for medical research purposes.
Instead, the founder of the Center for Medical Progress gave an impromptu press conference with his attorneys to celebrate their win.
“The dismissal of the bogus, politically motivated charges against CMP project lead David Daleiden and investigator Sandra Merritt is a resounding vindication of the First Amendment rights of all citizen journalists, and also a clear warning to any of Planned Parenthood’s political cronies who would attack whistleblowers to protect Planned Parenthood from scrutiny,” they said. “Planned Parenthood tried to collude with public officials to manipulate the legal process to their own benefit, and they failed.
“A year after the release of the undercover videos, the ongoing nationwide investigation of Planned Parenthood by the House Select Investigative Panel makes clear that Planned Parenthood is the guilty party in the harvesting and trafficking of baby body parts for profit.”
