40 Days for Life

Last updated

40 Days for Life
Founded at2004, Bryan-College Station, TX
Type501(c)(3) non-profit
Purpose anti-abortion activism
Location
  • International
Website https://40daysforlife.com

40 Days for Life is an international organization that campaigns against abortion in more than 60 nations worldwide. [1] It was originally started in 2004 by members of the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life in Texas. The name refers to a repeated pattern of events lasting for 40 days in the Bible, such as Noah’s Ark, Moses’s 40 days on Mount Sinai, and Jesus’s 40 days in the desert. [2] [3]

Contents

The 40 Days for Life campaign is active in the spring during the Christian season of Lent and in the fall. [4] [5] Campaigns are organized simultaneously in hundreds of cities in the United States and around the world, although not all campaign locations participate every time. [6] [7] Each campaign consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting in shifts outside of a clinic or hospital that performs abortions or which is an abortion referral center. [7] The campaign also involves outreach to the community to promote awareness about abortion and outreach directly to women considering abortion. [8] Participants are required to sign a “Statement of Peace” stating that they will act lawfully and peacefully while participating in the campaign. [9]

History

The organization was founded in Bryan, Texas in 1998 by Shawn Carney, a Catholic student, in reaction to the presence of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility. [10] ProLife 365 says that four members of the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life decided to start the prayer campaign 24 hours a day for 40 days with the goal of closing the facility, and credits this campaign for a rejuvenation of local anti-abortion activities in the Bryan-College Station area. [11]

In early 2007, the original 40 Days for Life leaders suggested a simultaneous nationwide 40 Days for Life campaign in as many cities as wished to participate. [12] The first national campaign ran that fall with vigils in 89 cities in 33 U.S. states. [13] A second national campaign was added to run during the spring of each year, starting in Lent of 2008 with campaigns in 59 cities. [6] [14]

The spring 2009 campaign had numerous U.S. and international cities participating, including Brisbane, Australia and cities in Canada, Northern Ireland, and the United States. [14] 40 Days for Life also began campaigning against clinics in Ireland prior to the 2018 constitutional amendment legalizing the procedure; such clinics gave information to women who were thinking of having an abortion in Britain, where abortion is widely legal. [1]

In 2013, the Bryan Planned Parenthood closed. [15] In 2014, the building was bought by 40 Days for Life. [16] [17]

As of the spring 2019 campaign, more than 1,000,000 people have participated in 61 countries across all six populated continents. [18] Lutherans for Life says that approximately 19,000 churches have participated in the 6,428 local campaigns that have been held since 40 Days for Life began. [19] [20] The US-based Christian Broadcasting Network reports that more than 16,000 confirmed instances where potential patients did not have a planned abortion. [21] Campaigns continue to be held in the spring and fall of each year. [4]

Opposition

An American Civil Liberties Union spokesperson called 40 Days for Life "the most dangerous threat to choice". [22] Abortion rights activists have reacted against 40 Days for Life with protests such as “40 Days of Choice”, among others. [23] They have pursued legal avenues such as buffer zones, especially in Canada and Europe, to prevent anti-abortion activists from approaching women or standing near abortion facilities. [24]

In the United Kingdom, the 40 Days for Life campaign has been described as an "American-style" protest. Abortion rights activists say that harassment of clinic patients in the United Kingdom is increasing due to the campaign; 40 Days for Life denies that the campaign promotes harassment. [25] [26] The British Pregnancy Advisory Service states that some abortion appointments cancelled during a 40 Days for Life campaign or similar protest are rescheduled after the protest. [26]

According to Holly Baxter, writing for the British publication The Guardian , the vigils' participants harass women and pregnant girls trying to access clinics by singing hymns, distributing rosaries, and distributing leaflets disguised as NHS literature, which are described by a Marie Stopes representative as "pseudo-medical" and "misleading". [27]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 Monaghan, Gabrielle (February 7, 2016). "Pro-life activists to picket clinic". The Times. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  2. ↑ Kukla, Kevin. "David Bereit recounts 40 Days for Life's origins". ProLife 365. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  3. ↑ "40 Days for Life". Diocese of Sioux City. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Dwyer, Fr. Dave. "40 Days for Life". Busted Halo. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Fall 40 Days for Life will be held Sept. 25 through Nov. 3". The Record. Archdiocese of Louisville. September 19, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Farber, Michelle. "Let's have 40 days of choice against 40 days of lies". International Socialist Organization. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Dwyer, Dr. Dave. "40 Days for Life". Busted Halo.
  8. ↑ Knapp, Patty (March 6, 2017). "The 40 Days of Lent are 40 Days for Life". National Catholic Register. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  9. ↑ Ditum, Sarah (March 13, 2012). "Anti-abortion campaigners like 40 Days for Life have resorted to intimidation". The Guardian. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  10. ↑ Lane Luckie, Power of Prayer: 40 Days For Life co-founder Shawn Carney, kltv.com, USA, Feb. 4, 2019
  11. ↑ Kukla, Kevin (June 18, 2014). "David Bereit recounts 40 Days for Life's origins". ProLife 365. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  12. ↑ "U.S. kicks off 40 Days for Life". Zenit News Agency. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  13. ↑ O'Brien, Linda (September 10, 2007). "40 Days for Life campaign". Catholic Exchange. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  14. 1 2 Jones, Lawrence (February 25, 2009). "40 Days for Life campaign kicks off in 130 cities". Christian Post. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  15. ↑ Brown, Beth (September 22, 2013). "Coalition for Life looks ahead after Planned Parenthood closing". The Eagle.
  16. ↑ Leonardo Blair, Pro-Life Group 40 Days for Life Moves Headquarters Into Former Planned Parenthood Abortion Center Where 6,400 Children Died, christianpost.com, USA, November 7, 2014
  17. ↑ Breaux, Aimee (February 2, 2017). "Vatican official to visit Bryan Coalition for Life headquarters". The Eagle. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  18. ↑ "40 Days for Life fall campaign begins Sept. 25". Florida Catholic.
  19. ↑ Salemink, Michael. "40 Days for Life/National Life Chain". Lutherans for Life.
  20. ↑ "Manitowoc 40 Days for Life campaign starts Sept. 25 along Calumet Avenue". Herald Times Reporter. September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  21. ↑ Hallowell, Billy (July 15, 2019). "He saved 16,000 unborn babies' lives and helped rescue Abby Johnson from Planned Parenthood". CBN News. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  22. ↑ Baldwin, Lou. "40 Days for Life vigils show support for women in crisis pregnancy". Archived from original. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  23. ↑ Farber, Michelle. "Lets have 40 days of choice against 40 days of lies". International Socialist Organization. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  24. ↑ Caton, Mary (March 25, 2019). "Windsor Regional Hospital draws dueling rallies over abortion". Windsor Star. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  25. ↑ Woodyatt, Amy (July 9, 2019). "'Americanized' anti-abortion protests are on the rise in the UK. But a fight back has begun". CNN: World. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  26. 1 2 "Anti-abortion activists harassing women at UK clinics during Lent". the Guardian. April 8, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  27. ↑ Baxter, Holly (March 26, 2013). "40 Days for Life: Prayers and protests". The Guardian. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
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