Fetal tissue video a sham, panel told

WASHINGTON — Planned Parenthood told Congress on Monday that a secretly recorded video released last week by an anti-abortion group is fraudulent and part of a years-long pattern of illegal harassment aimed at prohibiting abortion.

In a letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Planned Parenthood said it fell victim to a fake company called Biomax Procurement Services that posed as a buyer of human tissues. It was actually created by David Daleiden, an official of the Center for Medical Progress, which released the video, and was engaged in “a campaign of corporate espionage” targeting Planned Parenthood, the letter said.

Planned Parenthood also told the House committee that it has not yet decided whether it will honor lawmakers’ request for a briefing by an official, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, who speaks at length in the video about obtaining fetal tissue for research.