40 Days for Life

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]

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

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

According to the Diocese of Sioux City, the initial 2004 local campaign was begun in reaction to the presence of a Planned Parenthood abortion facility which had opened in Bryan, Texas in 1998.[3] 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.[10]

According to The Zenit Project, 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.[11] According to Catholic Exchange, the first national campaign ran that fall with vigils in 89 cities in 33 U.S. states.[12] 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][13]

According to the Christian Post, 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.[13] 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.[14] The building is now operated by 40 Days for Life.[15]

According to The Florida Catholic, as of the spring 2019 campaign, more than 1,000,000 people have participated in 61 countries across all six populated continents.[16] 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.[17][18] The US-based Christian Broadcasting Network reports that more than 16,000 confirmed instances where potential patients did not have a planned abortion.[19] 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".[20] Abortion rights activists have reacted against 40 Days for Life with protests such as “40 Days of Choice”, among others.[21] 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.[22]

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.[23][24] 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.[24]

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".[25]

See also

References
  1. 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. 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. Farber, Michelle. "Let's have 40 days of choice against 40 days of lies". International Socialist Organization. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  7. 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. Kukla, Kevin (June 18, 2014). "David Bereit recounts 40 Days for Life's origins". ProLife 365. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  11. "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.
  12. O'Brien, Linda (September 10, 2007). "40 Days for Life campaign". Catholic Exchange. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  13. Jones, Lawrence (February 25, 2009). "40 Days for Life campaign kicks off in 130 cities". Christian Post. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  14. Brown, Beth (September 22, 2013). "Coalition for Life looks ahead after Planned Parenthood closing". The Eagle.
  15. Breaux, Aimee (February 2, 2017). "Vatican official to visit Bryan Coalition for Life headquarters". The Eagle. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  16. "40 Days for Life fall campaign begins Sept. 25". Florida Catholic.
  17. Salemink, Michael. "40 Days for Life/National Life Chain". Lutherans for Life.
  18. "Manitowoc 40 Days for Life campaign starts Sept. 25 along Calumet Avenue". Herald Times Reporter. September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. Farber, Michelle. "Lets have 40 days of choice against 40 days of lies". International Socialist Organization. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  22. Caton, Mary (March 25, 2019). "Windsor Regional Hospital draws dueling rallies over abortion". Windsor Star. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  23. 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.
  24. "Anti-abortion activists harassing women at UK clinics during Lent". the Guardian. April 8, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  25. Baxter, Holly (March 26, 2013). "40 Days for Life: Prayers and protests". The Guardian. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
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