The last remaining charge against two California pro-life activists has been dropped.
A Texas judge dismissed the tampering with government records charge against David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, who made undercover videos allegedly implicating Planned Parenthood officials in arranging the illegal sale of fetal tissue to researchers for profit.
Prosecutors claimed Daleiden and Merritt used fake driver’s licenses to hide their identities when dealing with Planned Parenthood.
Tuesday, District Judge Brock Thomas dismissed the charge at the request of the Harris County prosecutor’s office.
“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,” Daleiden said in a statement.
Defense attorneys said Daleiden and Merritt, activists with The Center for Medical Progress, never should have been indicted.
“Today’s dismissal in Houston is a huge win for the First Amendment rights of undercover journalists,” Daleiden’s attorney, Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, said in a statement. “David Daleiden used standard undercover journalism techniques and followed all applicable laws in doing so.”
