“Now we all must get to work to protect families and infants from the criminal abortion-industrial complex.”
The final criminal charge against pro-life activist David Daleiden has been dismissed and his case expunged, concluding a prosecution that began after he released undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry selling the body parts of aborted babies.
Daleiden, founder of the Center for Medical Progress, announced the outcome Thursday on X. "As promised, the final charge has been DISMISSED and the case completely expunged—after a couple months' administrative delay, and a truly bizarre last-minute 'April Fool's' attempt by @PPFA and @NatAbortionFed to overturn the State's agreement," he wrote on X.
https://twitter.com/daviddaleiden/status/2039499385256751230?s=20
The dismissal completes a January 2025 settlement where California dropped charges against Daleiden and reporter Sandra Merritt. The agreement also includes no jail time, fines, or admission of wrongdoing, per Life News.
Part of the agreement was that the pair would enter a “no contest” plea to a single misdemeanor video-recording charge. The plea was to be entered as judgment as a misdemeanor in six to 12 months. It was then to become a “not guilty” plea and has been dismissed and expunged. 14 other charges against Daleiden have been dismissed previously as they lacked probable cause.
The case began under then-Attorney General Kamala Harris following Daleiden's 2015 video release. In January 2025, Daleiden characterized the prosecution as political.
"After enduring 9 years of weaponized political prosecution, putting an end to the lawfare launched by Kamala Harris is a huge victory for my investigative reporting and for the public's right to know the truth about Planned Parenthood's sale of aborted baby body parts. Now we all must get to work to protect families and infants from the criminal abortion-industrial complex," he said.
Defense attorney Steve Cooley criticized the prosecution: "In my 5 decades as an attorney, 40 years of which were as a prosecutor, I have never seen such a blatant exercise of selective investigation and vindictive prosecution. The California Attorneys General who initiated this case and pursued it for nearly 10 years should be ashamed for weaponizing their office to pursue people who were merely exposing illegality associated with the harvesting and sale of fetal body parts," Cooley said.
Daleiden's videos resulted in a $7.8 million settlement where two companies admitted illegal sales of aborted body parts that were from Planned Parenthood facilities in Southern California.
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