Crime

Anti-Abortion Activists Face Charges For Filming Planned Parenthood

David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt are accused of creating fake identities to gain access to Planned Parenthood researchers.

Anti-Abortion Activists Face Charges For Filming Planned Parenthood
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Two anti-abortion activists are facing 15 felony charges for secretly filming Planned Parenthood researchers and clinics.

David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt are accused of going undercover at California Planned Parenthoods 14 times between 2013 and 2015. The two allegedly created fake identities to gain access and didn't tell researchers they were being recorded, which is illegal in the state.

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President Trump did tell the New York Times he was still "deeply committed to investing in women's health."

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Daleiden and Merritt used their videos to accuse Planned Parenthood of selling fetal tissue. Several subsequent investigations didn't find evidence to support that claim.

But Politico notes some in Congress used the videos as a way to argue that Planned Parenthood's funding should be cut.

This isn't the first time the pair has faced legal action. Last year, they were charged with tampering with government records in Texas, but the charges were eventually dropped.