By Angeline Huang

Neela Banerjee’s April 3rd piece in The New York Times, “Abortion-Rights Side Invokes God, Too,” about the Planned Parenthood Federation’s annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast reveals something different than what the public typically regards as the religious view of abortion. The article draws upon nearly a century of history to establish a long-term relationship between clergy and the Planned Parenthood Foundation, commonly thought of as “godless” by its critics. Banerjee quotes four attendees, all members of the clergy.

Banerjee has made a respectable effort to portray a group that has, until now, not received any attention from the Times, despite the large number of discussions of abortion rights in the past year (Supreme Court Justice nominations, South Dakota, etc.). The clergy at the Planned Parenthood convention distinguish themselves from those of the “Christian right,” although Banerjee identifies the abortion-supporters themselves as “ministers and rabbis,” wearing “clerical collars and small crosses.”

Apart from the Planned Parenthood clergy advisory group, the article fails to fully show the actual abundance of clergy groups that are “pro-choice,” and in support of abortion. The article mentions only one such organization, Concerned Clergy for Choice, but only because one individual quoted is the director of the organization. In reality, there are plenty such groups out there, such as The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, which includes organizations from over 15 denominations, and provides excerpts of official church statements that show that pro-choice is the official position of many churches.

Banerjee’s memo on the little-covered population of pro-choice clergy is a refreshing change from the more common portrayal of the religious right. But if there are organized groups of clergy supporting abortion, and if they have the history Banerjee cites, why have other journalists not acknowledged this population in the wider scope of the abortion debate?

Angeline Huang is a graduate student in New York University’s Department of Journalism.