Fiorina defends Planned Parenthood comments

Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina says she did not mischaracterize an undercover video tape that she said shows a live-birth abortion at Planned Parenthood, a statement that fact-checkers have called into question.

{mosads}“No, I don’t accept that at all,” Fiorina said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I’ve seen the footage. I find it amazing, actually, that all of these supposed fact-checkers in the mainstream media claim this doesn’t exist.”

Fiorina made the comments in question at the second GOP primary debate on Wednesday.

“Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain,” she said at the debate.

Fact-checkers say the video only describes the incident taking place, but does not actually show it.

Fiorina also doubled-down on her calls to defund Planned Parenthood on Sunday.

“I will continue to dare anyone who wants to continue to fund Planned Parenthood, watch the video tapes,” she said.

The former Hewlett-Packard CEO said the government should continue to fund women’s health services that Planned Parenthood also provides, such as mammograms.

“Of course we should be funding those things,” Fiorina said. “But I find it fascinating the Democrats will never support taxpayer funding, for example, for a women’s health center right next door to a Planned Parenthood that would provide all those same services and also provide women an alternative to abortion.”

“Carly Fiorina’s claims about Planned Parenthood are completely untrue, which is consistent with a pattern of deception and dishonesty throughout her careers in politics and business,” Planned Parenthood Vice President Eric Ferrero said. “She describes a video that literally does not exist. Carly Fiorina was either duped or she’s being dishonest again. If she can be fooled this easily, to cite a video that doesn’t exist as part of a smear campaign that has been totally discredited by experts, I’d hate to see what Vladimir Putin would do with her.”

Fiorina has been surging in the polls following her strong performance at the second GOP debate on Wednesday.

A CNN/ORC International poll released Sunday morning finds her in second place in the crowded Republican field.

–This report was updated at 2:13 p.m.