40 Days for Life Pro-Life Campaign Targeting Abortion Begins on Wednesday
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 23, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The latest round of the 40 Days for Life campaign begins Wednesday and more than 130 cities in the United States and Canada, as well as in Australia and Northern Ireland, will participate. The effort, which involves prayer and fasting and a peaceful presence at local abortion centers, goes through April 5.
The latest campaign coincides with the start of the Christian season of Lent, and sponsors hope pro-life advocates will sacrifice their time and talents to be involved.
"The economy is weak and the political landscape is challenging, but people recognize they can make a life-saving difference by going to pray outside the places where women and children are at risk – abortion facilities in their local towns," Shawn Carney, spring campaign director, tells LifeNews.com.
Carney says the successes of past 40 Days campaigns are driving more people to participate and sparking the creation of new campaigns across the globe.
"Prayer and peaceful action works, and as a result, record numbers of people are joining 40 Days for Life," he said. "With 130-plus cities, that’s more than double the number that took part in the spring of 2008."
This is the fourth coordinated, simultaneous 40 Days for Life campaign and more than 175,000 people in 204 cities have participated.
As a result of previous efforts, three abortion facilities have shut their doors, thirteen employees have left the abortion business, and 1,128 babies have been saved from abortion.
"This is clearly making an impact when it comes to showing people, on a city-by-city basis, the negative impact that abortion has on their communities," said Carney.
"Many people think about abortion in abstract terms. But 40 Days for Life shows that abortion is real, it’s in their neighborhoods, and it has devastating results – not only for the babies, but for mothers, fathers and many others," he adds.
The campaign has made an impact on the back end of abortion as men and women with abortion experiences have sought healing because of the 40 Days for Life activities.
"We know of many people who were involved in abortions years ago who have come to see that their ‘choice’ was a poor one," said Carney. "We’ve been able to connect them with groups who specifically minister to those with post-abortion issues. Those ministries help these people find healing and get their lives back in order. This is yet another blessing seen through 40 Days for Life."
Carney says the popularity of the campaign shows a majority of Americans are still pro-life despite the 2008 election results that left the nation with a pro-abortion president.
"To focus on the United States for a moment, the 2008 election results do not show that America is pro-choice. Not at all," he concluded.
"America is increasingly pro-life. All the momentum is on the side of life. People do indeed want change – and the change that people are praying and fasting for is an end to the culture of death and the establishment of a culture of life. We believe – we know – that this is a change that will happen. We can’t say when, but it will happen," Carney said.
Related web site:
40 Days for Life – https://www.40daysforlife.com
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