Late Thursday night, the California Senate passed a bill—sponsored by Planned Parenthood—that would criminalize the publication of any evidence of its business practices, including the harvesting and selling of body parts from aborted babies.
Assembly Bill 1671 would also make it a crime to publish confidential conversations with health care providers, even if those conversations disclose criminal activity. In its definition of “health care providers,” the bill includes volunteers and independent contractors.
It’s not difficult to figure out why the bill was introduced; it’s intended to stifle the efforts of David Daleiden and the Center for Medical Progress to expose Planned Parenthood’s illegal activities. Since the release of their videos, 11 states have voted to defund the nation’s largest abortion provider.
Taken to its logical conclusion, AB 1671, if it becomes law, would mean anyone who posts a photo or video of an interaction with an abortion clinic employee or volunteer—including clinic escorts—could be prosecuted under the bill. The bill also provides for penalties of up to $10,000 per violation and one year in state prison.
“By passing AB 1671, California legislators have demonstrated their willingness to trample on the free speech rights of their constituents in order to protect Planned Parenthood’s financial interests,” Alexandra Snyder, executive director of Life Legal Defense Foundation, which has defended Daleiden against lawsuits and criminal prosecution for his work to expose the abortion providers’ illicit activities. “We urge the full body of the California legislature to reject this unconstitutional bill.”
The bill has created an unexpected alliance. Joining the pro-life organizations in their opposition are the American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. They also argue it is an unconstitutional content-based regulation of speech.
