News

February 9, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – This spring pro-life advocates in 243 cities around the globe are gearing up to participate in the wildly successful 40 Days for Life initiative. The coordinated international campaign begins March 9 and runs through April 17, coinciding with the Christian season of Lent.

Image

The campaign will stretch from coast to coast in the United States, and extend into Canada, England, Ireland, Australia, Belize, Spain, Georgia and Armenia.

“With the dramatic changes in congressional leadership, negative attention surrounding Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry, and the monumental shift in public attitudes regarding the right to life, we have reached a cultural tipping point,” said Shawn Carney, campaign director of 40 Days for Life. “Against that backdrop, we are preparing to launch the largest-ever 40 Days for Life campaign.”

40 Days for Life consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, 40 days of constant, peaceful vigil outside abortion centers and Planned Parenthood offices and 40 days of pro-life community outreach. The list of participating communities is posted online here.

The 40 Days for Life movement continues to grow. Thus far, seven coordinated national 40 Days for Life campaigns have been conducted, twice each year, beginning in the fall of 2007. More than 400,000 people in some 337 cities have already taken part. Nine abortion centers have closed following 40 Days for Life prayer vigils, and at least 43 abortion industry employees have quit their jobs, including Abby Johnson, a former director of a Planned Parenthood facility.

“The best news,” Carney said, “is that there are 3,599 children – and their mothers – who were spared from abortion. And of course, those are just the ones we know about. There may be countless others.”

“Just the sight of people peacefully praying can touch the consciences of those who are so desperate they think abortion is a solution,” he said. “We know of many cases where minds have been changed – and lives saved – without a single word ever being spoken.”