National 40-Day Pro-Life Prayer Campaign Begins at Abortion Centers 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 25, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Pro-life advocates from across the nation are prepared to begin a peaceful 40-day prayer campaign outside abortion centers across the United States. Similar campaigns on the local level have resulted in numerous women changing their minds about abortion and more organized pro-life groups in cities and towns.
The 40 Days For Life campaign starts Wednesday and concludes November 4 at places large and small. The national event features more than 80 cities in 33 states.
Fargo resident Mary Thoelke says the event will help people in North Dakota mark the nearly 1,300 people who lose their lives to abortion every year there. That’s important to her state because it faces underpopulation problems.
"In a state struggling to maintain its population, a loss of 1,289 children in 2006 is no small disaster. This is more than the population of many North Dakota communities," she said.
She said the prayer campaign "is an ecumenical event drawing peaceful, prayerful attention to the places of abortion in our land."
"It is a call to a personal change of heart surrounding this issue and educational outreach to the people of our nation," Thoelke added.
David Bereit, national campaign director for 40 Days for Life, told LifeNews.com that College Station, Texas experienced a 28 percent drop in local abortion numbers when initiating a similar campaign.
"Houston, Texas saw an abortion facility shut down after more than 20 years of operation and Green Bay, Wisconsin activated more than 700 new volunteers into local pro-life efforts," he said.
Barrow County Right to Life in Georgia is participating as well.
"Imagine what God can accomplish when communities and individuals across the nation unite for 40 days of prayer and fasting; pulling out all the stops to restore the sanctity of life," the group said in a statement given to LifeNews.com about the event.
The group hopes to maintain a "peaceful and educational" but constant round-the-clock prayerful presence at abortion business in Atlanta and Marietta.
Wisconsin resident and Right to Life supporter Lori Koschnick also talked with LifeNews.com about the event in her state.
"This is the largest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history," she said, and explained that people from Milwaukee, Green Bay and Madison will participate.
"We will join with others from across the country to pray and fast and pull out all the stops for 40 days to end the tragic violence of abortion, we look forward to seeing what kind of transformation God will bring about in our city and throughout America," she said.
