A Texas judge has dismissed one of the two charges faced by pro-life campaigner David Daleiden, whose undercover videos revealed lawbreaking and contempt for human life at America's largest abortion provider.
Through a series of videos released by the Center of Medical Progress, an undercover David Daleiden exposed Planned Parenthood’s illicit profiteering from the sale of aborted children’s foetal tissue.
Despite footage demonstrating the illegal behaviour of Planned Parenthood, Daleiden was charged in January with "unlawfully, intentionally and knowingly offer[ing] to buy human organs, namely, fetal tissue, for valuable consideration".
Mr Daleiden has just been cleared of that charge by Judge Diane Bull, who threw out the misdemeanour charge.
Questions had been raised over the charge after it emerged that one of the prosecutors who works at the district attorney's office is also a Planned Parenthood board member.
According to pro-life group Operation Rescue, Lauren Reeder, who served as a prosecutor when Daleiden was charged, is also listed on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast.
Daleiden took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce the ruling, he tweeted: "Pleased to announce the first sham indictment against me in Houston, TX has been dismissed."
In a statement for the Center for Medical Progress, of which he is founder, he added:
Judge Diane Bull’s swift dismissal of the bogus charge against CMP founder David Daleiden of trafficking human organs is the latest confirmation that the indictments from a runaway grand jury in Houston were a politically-motivated sham all along. In finding that the indictment was void on its face, Judge Bull’s ruling directly contradicts the District Attorney’s argument that the indictment was valid despite the DA’s collusion with Planned Parenthood.
Daleiden will still face a charge for allegedly tampering with a government record, to create a false driver’s license in order to gain access to Planned Parenthood facilities.
If convicted, he and his assistant Sam Merritt could face up to 20 years in prison.
In total Daleiden released a total of 12 videos, over several months, awakening Americans to the harsh reality of abortion.
In response to the footage released, both the US House of Representatives and the Senate passed a bill to defund Planned Parenthood for one year. However, President Obama vetoed the bill, in January.
In a statement, he wrote that defunding Planned Parenthood "would reverse the significant progress we have made in improving health care in America."
Related Links:
Judge Dismisses Bogus Charge Against David Daleiden for Exposing Planned Parenthood (LifeNews)
President Obama vetoes bill to defund Planned Parenthood (Life Site)
Man who exposed Planned Parenthood atrocities formally charged