This wasn't exactly how anti-abortion activists intended things to turn out when they set out to manufacture videotapes supposedly stinging Planned Parenthood for selling fetal tissue. In fact, it's exactly opposite to what they intended.
A Harris County [Texas] grand jury probe into Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast ended Monday with the indictments of two anti-abortion activists.
David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt were both indicted for tampering with a governmental record. An additional indictment for prohibition of the purchase and sale of human organs was issued for Daleiden, according to a release from the Harris County District Attorneys Office.
"We were called upon to investigate allegations of criminal conduct by Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast," said Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson. "As I stated at the outset of this investigation, we must go where the evidence leads us. All the evidence uncovered in the course of this investigation was presented to the grand jury. I respect their decision on this difficult case."
So not only did the Houston grand jury decide not to indict Planned Parenthood for anything, they're instead indicting the activists. They're proudly following in the footsteps of that other anti-abortion extremist fraudster, James O'Keefe.
A second investigation into Planned Parenthood has been ordered by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, even though no Texas Planned Parenthood facility actually participates in fetal tissue donation programs. That investigation has delved into "a wide range of information from the organization including patient records, billing information, and employee information," and has thus far turned up nothing. Because there's nothing to turn up.
It remains to be seen if an indictment for the activists is enough to make Abbott and team drop their "investigation."
