The Patriot Post® · CA Opens Can of Worms With Pro-Life Censorship

California is on a mission to silence activists who uncover incriminating evidence from organizations like Planned Parenthood in the aftermath of last year’s horrific revelations from the Center for Medical Progress. The state legislature recently approved a bill that distinctly “make[s] it a crime for a person who unlawfully eavesdrops upon or records a confidential communication … with a health care provider … to intentionally disclose or distribute the contents of the confidential communication without the consent of all parties to the confidential communication.”

While Planned Parenthood does provide limited medical services, it is not, strictly speaking, a health care provider, which is just a term adopted by leftists as a ruse to masquerade the organization’s overarching motive — the facilitating of abortion. But we digress. Even those who can’t see beyond this political swindle are alarmed over the constitutional concerns raised by the bill. This summer the ACLU, of all organizations, stated, “We know of no legitimate governmental reason for singling-out disclosure of all health care provider communications for special criminal sanctions, making the bill vulnerable not only on First Amendment grounds but also on equal protection grounds.”

Even the liberal Los Angeles Times editorial board is incredulous. “[M]ake no mistake, this measure would heap more criminal and civil penalties on making a secret recording … simply to satisfy an interest group popular among Sacramento Democrats,” the editors write in “New bill to protect Planned Parenthood is bad for whistleblowers.” They conclude, “The potential for unanticipated and unwelcome consequences is huge.” We only wish they weren’t blind to the same consequences as it pertains to culture and the overall sanctity of life.