Health services and abortion provider Planned Parenthood today landed on the government’s budgetary chopping block — the U.S. House voted 240-185 to strip its federal funding.

But Planned Parenthood, more so than any other abortion rights organization, is positioned to fight back as debate over its funding shifts to the Senate. And the organization’s overall political efforts typically exceed those of any single group that opposes abortion rights.

In 2010, Planned Parenthood and a California affiliate together spent more than $700,000 on federal lobbying efforts, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal lobbying records finds. By comparison, all other organizations that primarily advocate for abortion rights collectively spent $247,280 on federal lobbying efforts during the same period, according to the Center’s research.



Planned Parenthood’s political influence efforts hardly stop at lobbying.

The organization’s political action committee, for example, donated more than $148,000 to federal candidates — almost all Democrats — during the 2010 election cycle. The PAC spent more than $443,000 overall.

Planned Parenthood also recorded $905,796 in independent expenditures during the 2010 cycle — money spent in support of, or in opposition to, federal political candidates, largely through advertisements. The top beneficiaries of this money were Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

Representatives from Planned Parenthood could not be reached for comment about how the organization intends to interact with federal government officials in coming weeks. On its website, Planned Parenthood called Friday’s vote “the most dangerous legislative assault in our history,” adding, “it cannot go unanswered.”

Organizations opposing abortion rights have historically recorded more modest numbers when it comes to playing politics.

For example, they’ve maintained a smaller lobbying footprint in the capital, the Center’s research indicates. With the exception of 2001, abortion rights groups have outspent pro-life groups in year-to-year lobbying spending.

National Right to Life and the American Life League regularly spend money on federal lobbying. But they’re often the only two anti-abortion organizations that do — only Feminists for Life has engaged in federal lobbying efforts of late, spending relatively small amounts of money between 2006 and 2008. In 2010, Right to Life and the American Life League together spent $633,256 on lobbying efforts to lead all other groups that oppose abortion rights.

As far as campaign contributions are concerned, Susan B. Anthony List donated $183,291 to federal-level candidates during the 2010 election cycle to easily lead all other organizations that oppose abortion rights.

Abortion opponents in 2010 did maintain a considerable advantage when it comes to outside spending. National Right to Life and Susan B. Anthony List spent more than $2.65 million and $2.48 million, respectively.



In spite of mixed spending numbers, citizen lobbying efforts have produced significant results organizations that oppose abortion rights, said Dianne Edmondson, executive director for the Republican National Coalition for Life.

“While there may be lobbyists from the pro-abortion side in Washington … we have a very effective citizen lobby back home in the districts and I think congressmen, I think they respond quite well to that,” Edmondson said.

If today’s House vote were to hold, Planned Parenthood’s operations would be significantly affected, as it receives more than $75 million annually in federal funding.



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