Last week, the 40 Days for Life Fall 2016 Campaign concluded with the tremendous news that 658 babies were saved from abortion. Forty Days for Life is a semi-annual event that unites churches, Pro-Life organizations, and prayerful citizens in standing for Life outside abortion mills. The peaceful campaigns organize prayer warriors in front of abortion mills 24 hours a day for 40 days. Every year, the results are stunning.
Texas Right to Life’s members have stood outside Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast each year for the 40 Days for Life campaign. Houston sadly has the undesirable recognition of being home to the largest freestanding abortion mill in the Western Hemisphere. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast operates six days a week and has a steady stream of abortion vulnerable women walking through their doors. 40 Days for Life is a time for volunteers to unite their efforts and ceaselessly offer prayer and loving presence to mothers and their babies.
Not only do volunteers pray, they also offer information and assistance to the women seeking abortions. Contrary to the “pro-choice” myth, many mothers turn to abortion when they think they have no other choice. By providing information about free ultrasounds and pregnancy resource centers, volunteers show families that abortion is not the only option and they can choose Life. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast is located next to the campus of the University of Houston. College students are at great risk for falling prey to the lies of the abortion industry. Pro-Lifers who offer factual information and resources provide lifesaving help.
40 Days for Life keeps track of the many stories of changed hearts throughout the event. Hearing stories of mothers who chose Life encourages Pro-Lifers across the country to continue in their work. As a Pittsburgh volunteer told 40 Days for Life, “Sometimes, when we’re praying on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood, we might wonder whether we’re having any effect. Well…we had a save today!”
We don’t always have the joy of knowing that our prayers inspired a mother to choose Life for her baby, but hearing the success stories in other cities around the world can give us hope. We will never know the number of women affected by our prayerful presence, and we can never know the great fruit that will bear.
Additionally, after women have abortions, they often struggle with depression and other mental health disorders. Knowing that there are loving people to turn to for healing can make a huge difference in the life of a post-abortive woman. Making the initial connection on the sidewalk of Planned Parenthood can be the beginning of healing for families devastated by abortion.
Perhaps the greatest beauty of 40 Days for Life is the certainty that we are united to Pro-Lifers all over the world for the campaign. We can know that our prayers are aiding the work of Pro-Lifers everywhere. As one volunteer in Manhattan stated, “Please keep praying. Wherever you are, your prayers are saving lives!”
