In Sacred Work, Davis says, “Ultimately the conflict between the opponents of Planned Parenthood and its clergy defenders is a theological one.” He’s correct, but not for the reasons he suggests. It’s not that abortion advocates embrace “a form of humane theology.” It’s that they ignore a preeminent sacred work: the Bible.

“God loves you and is with you no matter what you decide. You can find strength, understanding, and comfort in that love.” So reads the “Pastoral Letter to Patients” from the Clergy Advocacy Board of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In the midst of recent allegations surrounding Planned Parenthood’s activities (see “Pieces of children” in this issue), it’s sobering to remember those denominational leaders who support the abortion industry.

Churches have supported the work of Planned Parenthood for years. In his Sacred Work: Planned Parenthood and Its Clergy Alliances, Tom Davis, a United Church of Christ minister and past chair of Planned Parenthood’s Clergy Advocacy Board, details the role “mainline Protestant and Jewish clergy, in their alliance with Planned Parenthood, have played … in achieving respectability for birth control,” while working “below the public radar.”

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