WASHINGTON — Democrats are calling an undercover sting operation video showing a Planned Parenthood official discussing the harvesting of aborted fetal body parts deceptive.
“Well I think there’s been a kind of misrepresentation of the conversation that took place in the transcript in the conversation in the video that they have,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told The Daily Caller, saying that it was made “very clear” by Planned Parenthood that the organization does not engage in fetal organ trafficking, noting, “I think that is the fact.”
“I don’t know why they need an investigation,” Pelosi said of the House hearings that were called to investigate the organization as a result of the video’s contents.
The video, which was released by The Center for Medical Progress Tuesday, shows Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Senior Director of Medical Services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola telling an individual posing as a representative for a company that buys fetal tissue, that body parts like livers and lungs are available for harvesting after an abortion is performed.
When asked about the video Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner said, “I could talk about the video, but I’d vomit.” Boehner called on President Barack Obama to denounce Planned Parenthood for the video. However, most Democrats want the GOP chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte to pan the video and hearings all together.
“The video does not demonstrate that Planned Parenthood is ‘selling’ fetal tissue. In fact, many portions of the full video — edited out of the nine-minute version that House Republicans have circulated — directly contradict the allegation that Planned Parenthood has violated federal law,” Tennessee Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers said in a joint statement.
“It’s got a Benghazi feel to it, for me,” California Democrat Rep. Scott Peters said to The Hill, while the House’s pro-choice caucus co-chairwoman, Colorado Democrat Rep. Diana DeGette, said in a statement:
“Planned Parenthood has spoken clearly on the specific circumstances surrounding this video, and I will let their experts explain for themselves. Circumstances of this video aside, people need to understand the important research that specific tissue types contribute to.”
Another member of the pro-choice caucus, Illinois Democrat Rep. Jan Schakowsi, defended Planned Parenthood’s apparent actions stated in the video telling The Hill, “Planned Parenthood is actually allowed, is my understanding, for scientific research, to use fetal tissue, and that is not illegal.”