For folks who routinely complain about money in politics, the progressive left is conspicuously silent on Planned Parenthood. After a particularly challenging year for the abortion industry, the organization’s super PAC declared they plan to spend $45 million to defeat President Donald Trump and ensure that Republicans lose control of the Senate in 2020.

But what is notable about this story is not the response of the left. Rather, it is the lack thereof.

Planned Parenthood Spending Millions On Politics

The announcement comes after a year of political upheaval on the issue of abortion. After several left-leaning states passed – or attempted to pass – legislation designed to expand the practice, many other states passed laws designed to further limit abortion. While a slight majority of Americans profess to be pro-choice, there is a growing backlash against the effort to make the practice more prevalent.

The organization has closed a substantial number of centers over the past two years, and if the trend continues, that number might rise. On top of that, the group recently fired their president, Leanna Wen, who only served for nine months. It also lost millions of dollars in federal funding after the Trump administration imposed new rules regarding the organization.

Kelley Robinson, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, told The Hill that “this is a really unique moment for us as an organization.” She pointed out that “the stakes are higher than ever, and we’re coming out more powerful than ever with our largest investment ever made.”

The $45 million the organization plans to spend marks a significant increase from the $30 million they spent on the 2016 election.

Do as We Say, not as We Do

A handy rule of thumb when gauging whether or not folks are sincere in their criticism of a particular action is to see how they react when someone with whom they agree does it. By observing their reaction, it’s easy to see whether they are concerned about some principle or just scoring political points. Remember the wailing and gnashing of teeth when immigration authorities temporarily separated migrant children from their parents under Trump’s watch? Very few of them objected when the Obama administration did it.

When we look at the issue of outside money influencing politics, the same hypocrisy is evident. No doubt you have seen how vociferously the progressive left attacks the NRA for donating to various campaigns, right? They claim that the country must get rid of money in politics. Yet when it’s Planned Parenthood – or any other leftist group – what do we hear? Crickets.

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