Targeted group issues defense

Planned Parenthood Federation of America defended its practices in a lengthy letter to congressional leaders and included a report by experts it hired who found undercover videos of officials discussing fetal tissue for research were heavily altered by antiabortion activists.

The report supports the organization’s claims that the secretly recorded videos were distorted to misrepresent conversations employees had with antiabortion activists posing as biomedical company employees interested in buying fetal tissue, Planned Parenthood said.

The letter and report were the most detailed defense to date by Planned Parenthood, which has come under fire from conservatives since the California-based Center for Medical Progress began releasing a series of undercover videos last month.

Four congressional committees are investigating Planned Parenthood’s practices, and lawmakers unsuccessfully tried to strip its federal funding.

Some conservatives are vowing to vote down legislation to fund the federal government this fall if it contains money for the organization, raising the specter of a government shutdown.

A spokeswoman for House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said a letter from Planned Parenthood isn’t going to satisfy Congress.

“House committees have been investigating all of the participants involved in these horrific practices and building a strong case,” spokeswoman Emily Schillinger said. “The American people deserve the facts — not PR releases.”

Planned Parenthood said forensic experts found more than 40 instances where the video was spliced, and found conversations taken out of context to change the meaning of what was said.

The organization provides health services such as birth control, sexual disease screening and abortion.