A former Planned Parenthood “medical” director, known in court as “Doe 9,” contradicted her testimony during the preliminary criminal hearing in the San Francisco Superior Court this week. Liberty Counsel is defending Sandra Merritt for her undercover journalism work which exposed Planned Parenthood’s trade in baby body parts.
Merritt and David Daleiden from the Center for Medical Progress (CMP) are charged with felony charges under Penal Code section 632 of “intentionally and without the consent of all parties” recording “confidential” communications, and another count of conspiracy to violate section 632, in connection with undercover videos they released in 2015. However, the law states conversations are not confidential when there is a reasonable expectation they will be overheard, and undercover taping is allowed when those doing so have a reasonable belief that they are collecting evidence relating to a violent crime.
One of the videos played in court included “Doe 9” discussing her participation in selling baby body parts during a lunch in a public restaurant with Merritt and Daleiden. “Doe 9” told the court on Wednesday that she was “shocked” by the video because her two-hour lunch with Merritt and Daleiden was edited to make it seem she said things she did not actually say. Then “Doe 9” admitted in court yesterday, under questioning from Mihet, that the video clips shown were accurate depictions of her conversations with Merritt and Daleiden and were not edited or altered.
“Doe 9” also contradicted her sworn testimony in this hearing with her sworn deposition five months earlier in the civil federal case regarding her concern that the videos had been made public. As a result, Liberty Counsel Vice President of Legal Affairs and Chief Litigation Counsel Horatio Mihet repeatedly impeached “Doe 9’s” testimony and exposed her false statements.
“Instead of trying to jail Sandra Merritt for lawfully exposing the abortion giant’s misdeeds, California’s attorney general should prosecute Planned Parenthood’s witnesses for their demonstrable falsehoods under oath. Planned Parenthood’s perjury and illegal practices are the only real crimes committed in this case,” said Mihet.
