California increases penalties for secret recordings like Planned Parenthood videos
California will increase punishments for secret recordings like the controversial videos that rocked Planned Parenthood last summer after Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed legislation pushed by the health organization.
While it is already illegal to record private conversations without the consent of all parties involved, Assembly Bill 1671 will make it an additional crime for someone who makes such a recording of a health care provider and distributes it.
Brown signed the measure, from Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, without comment.
Its sponsor, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, and other supporters argued that stronger deterrents were needed for groups like the Irvine-based Center for Medical Progress, which released undercover videos last summer that purportedly showed Planned Parenthood officials selling aborted fetuses. Amid a national outcry, the organization countered that the recordings were heavily edited.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article105188816.html