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California prosecutors on Tuesday charged two anti-abortion activists who made undercover videos of themselves trying to buy fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood with 15 felonies, saying they invaded the privacy of medical providers by filming without consent. The charges against David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt of the Center for Medical Progress come eight months after similar charges were dropped in Texas. (Dalton, 3/29)

In announcing the charges against David Robert Daleiden and Sandra Merritt on Tuesday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the duo used manufactured identities and a fictitious bioresearch company to meet medical officials and covertly record the private discussions they initiated. “The right to privacy is a cornerstone of California’s Constitution, and a right that is foundational in a free democratic society,” Becerra said. “We will not tolerate the criminal recording of confidential conversations.” (Schmidt, 3/29)

An affidavit filed in San Francisco Superior Court alleges that Daleiden and Merritt used phony California driver’s licenses and a fabricated medical research company, BioMax Procurement Services, to attend the National Abortion Federation’s 2014 conference in San Francisco. At the conference, the pair posed as BioMax representatives, offered fake names and surreptitiously recorded eight attendees and speakers, according to court papers. (Hamilton, 3/28)

Daleiden’s sting videos, released two years ago through the Center for Medical Progress, accused Planned Parenthood clinics of profiting from the sale of fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood has strongly denied the accusations, and numerous investigations into the organization since the videos were released haven’t found any wrongdoing. The videos strengthened efforts in Congress to cut off federal funding to Planned Parenthood — efforts that are still underway. (3/28)

Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Tuesday that Congress shouldn’t try to defund Planned Parenthood in a measure to fund the government, but instead should use a separate healthcare reform bill...Funding for the government expires on April 28, and conservative lawmakers are likely to push for long-sought cuts to federal spending in the next bill to keep the government running. A protracted showdown over whether to fund Planned Parenthood — which receives federal reimbursement for other health services but not for abortion — could trigger a partial government shutdown. (Lane, 3/28)