Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, told Congress that the claims about the organization are "categorically wrong," according to USA Today.
Federal funding for Planned Parenthood has been a sore point for House Republicans, who want to defund the organization because of a series of controversial videos alleging that Planned Parenthood sells fetal tissue to research labs.
The government narrowly avoided a shutdown next week because the issue has been so contentious. Richards addressed the videos when she addressed Congress, calling them "deceptively edited videos released by a group that is dedicated to making abortion illegal."
She testified during a hearing that Congress initiated in order to investigate Planned Parenthood and the federal funding it receives, according to ABC News. Richards named Center for Medical Progress, the group releasing the videos, and said their claims are "outrageous."
"They sought to infiltrate Planned Parenthood affiliates and tried unsuccessfully to entrap Planned Parenthood physicians and staff for nearly three years. It is clear they acted fraudulently and unethically - and perhaps illegally," she said, ABC News reported.
Richards also said that except in rare situations, federal funding to Planned Parenthood does not pay for abortions, according to The Wall Street Journal.
