40 Days for Life

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

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]

  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. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b 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.