The pro-life campaign is cross-denominational, says Andrea Judd, who is coordinating this year’s event. Judd, who is a parishioner at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, says she has been contacting area pastors and church leaders, hoping to find plenty of participants to cover the 40 12-hour shifts. “It takes many individuals to pray across 40 days, 12 hours per day,” she says.
Judd says 40 Days for Life is one of the largest internationally coordinated pro-life mobilizations in history. It is a peaceful pro-life campaign that has already been embraced by more than 600,000 people worldwide (representing 16,500 churches), saved 8,245 lives from abortion, led to the conversion of 88 abortion workers, and has seen 44 abortion facilities close down for good.
Closer to home, prayer is also needed in central Illinois, especially since Planned Parenthood in Springfield began providing “medical abortions” in the spring of 2010. These abortions are performed before the ninth week of pregnancy with the mother taking a combination of drugs that cause the developing baby to die and the womb to contract and deliver the now-dead baby.
Medical abortions are associated with many complications, including heavy bleeding, severe cramping, septic shock and at least eight deaths, according to the FDA website.
“We feel compelled to oppose Planned Parenthood’s participation in the killing of these innocent children,” says Judd. “Our opposition is peaceful and prayerful. We pray for the babies who will die as a result of this procedure. We pray, too, for their mothers and fathers. And we pray that Springfield will be a place where problems are not solved by killing and where all people are welcomed and protected, from the moment of conception until their natural death.”
That’s why, says Judd, the 40 Days campaign features three components: prayer and fasting, the peaceful vigil, and community outreach. People throughout the city will be called to pray and fast; stand in peaceful, public witness; and take a positive upbeat pro-life message through media efforts, church presentations and by being visible to the public.
Parishes can help out by organizing groups to take turns praying. Judd has been asking parish pastors to designate a parish liaison to make organizing the prayer shifts more manageable. Additionally, all participants in 40 Days for Life are asked to sign a statement of peace, pledging to conduct themselves in a Christ-like manner.
“We pray that our efforts will mark the beginning of the end of abortion in Springfield. We know that it is through prayer that we will make a difference,” says Judd. “Praying together as a faith community will have a positive effect on saving the lives of the babies and their families. It has proven to be so already.”
For more information on 40 Days for Life go to www.40daysforlife.com/springfield-il, check out your parish bulletin or contact Andrea Judd at (217) 553-4550 or e-mail .