California proposes criminalizing undercover video recording at abortion facilities

A proposed bill in California will prohibit any person from secretly recording videos of medical staff at abortion facilities.

The bill, known as A.B. 1671 and introduced by Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, criminalizes the act of "eavesdropping" or recording confidential information from health care providers at abortion clinics "to intentionally disclose or distribute" such information without the consent of the people involved in the recording.

According to the proposed bill, anyone caught doing such undercover recordings can either be fined up to $5,000 or be put to jail for at least a year.

At the wake of investigations regarding the sale of fetal parts at Planned Parenthood, which was prompted by publicly released video footages that were recorded in secret by the Center for Medical Progress, journalists and pro-life groups met A.B. 1671 with opposition.

Nikki Moore, legal counsel to California Newspaper Publishers Association, said the bill could potentially hinder investigative journalism.

"It exposes the media and individuals alike to criminal penalties for simply pushing the send button on an email," Moore said, according to The Washington Times. "And it ties the hands of California journalists whose job is to report on issues of public concern."

Pro-life group Live Action's president Lila Rose also expressed concern that the bill would lessen the transparency at Planned Parenthood, which had been exposed for issues like sex trafficking and child sexual abuse through media reports.

"Rather than be more transparent with the public, Planned Parenthood wants to make it a crime for the media to publish evidence that it might be doing something illegal," Rose said in the same report, adding that media serving as watchdogs play an important role in society.

She also said that Planned Parenthood uses public funds, so the public needs to be assured that the money is being used properly and not for illegal activities.