By Robert Colquhoun, Director of International Campaigns, 40 Days for Life

The unthinkable has happened! The abortion centre where 40 Days for Life started in the United Kingdom is now closed for good! God is great!

Marie Stopes House permanently closed on 28 May 2021 in central London after nearly 11 years of daily prayer vigils. The abortion at home (pills by post) law change since 2020 in the United Kingdom has left large abortion centers seeing around half the number of clients in house, leaving the buildings vulnerable to closure. Hundreds of babies have been saved outside this very centre, which was on the verge of having a buffer zone introduced by Ealing council.

Clare McCullough, leader of Good Counsel Network said, “A huge thank you to all the faithful staff, volunteers, vigil leaders, priests, religious, sisters and faithful prayers who have prayed and worked for the closure of this centre.”

The 5 Story house in the heart of London has an iconic blue plaque (a sign commemorating a famous person) - remembering Dr Marie Stopes who opened the first birth control clinic in Holloway in 1921, which moved to central London in 1925. The center was Britain’s first family planning clinic.

In November 2020, Marie Stopes International was renamed MSI Reproductive Choices due to Stopes’ well documented views on eugenics. Dr Marie Stopes sent love letters to Adolf Hitler. Marie Stopes house also has a time capsule laden with pornography buried in the building. The international headquarters of MSI Reproductive Choices are just 2 streets away where they promote and expand abortion all around the world with taxpayers money, even in countries where abortion is illegal. In the last 5 years MSI have had a series of damning reports from the Care Quality Commission. However MSI have also opened new centers in Hammersmith and Camden recently.

The second day of the first ever 40 Days for Life campaign in 2010 saw a baby saved. A boyfriend was talking to prayer volunteers, after he was not allowed in the building with their 2 born children. After 15 minutes he rushed into the abortion centre and left, never to return. Another woman had a dream their unborn child was calling out to them the night before the abortion asking not to be aborted - after talking to a counsellor she chose life. Another woman walked down the line of prayer volunteers, shaking their hands and thanked them profusely, saying if it was not for them, her baby would not be alive today.

But not all passers by were so gracious. A student hall of residence next door was the source of endless tomfoolery. Some students poured buckets of water over volunteers, other pretended to be God or put “You can’t sing, I’m pro-choice” signs and other sarcastic messages saying, “For Lent, I am giving up my pro-life protest” on their windows. But by the end of the first campaign, 6 babies were saved and a penultimate vigil saw 55 people attend. Volunteers even heard students praying inside their rooms, and a first ever pro-abortion protest was seen, with protestors brandishing sacrilegious artifacts such as a crucifix redesigned as a sexual torture instrument in an attempt at intimidation.

The Good Counsel Network have held a daily, year round vigil for over a decade at the centre with outstanding and exemplary witness. At one point Marie Stopes tried unsuccessfully to disperse the vigil with legal action. At other times policewomen have cried about their abortion experiences, workers have quit and been helped to find other jobs. After a 24 hour 40 Days for Life campaign, it was reported builders working in the building late at night used to leave the key out for the workers in the morning in the flowerpot - which rather derogatorily had a plastic sperm on the keyring.

At other times loud screams were heard from women inside the building, a prostitutes’ brothel further down the street closed down, and women were physically sick on leaving the building. Eddie Bauer, one of the pavement counsellors brought his baby to work one day - treated with adulation and cooing on the train to work, but outside the abortion centre, the baby was treated with contempt and derision. Siobhan Casey ran the vigil for many years with grace, humility, fervor and fortitude. Many Priests came to pray at the centre, even bringing Saint’s relics at different points. One Ecuadorian volunteer foolishly thought the prayer vigil was inside the abortion centre, rang the bell, and then realized his mistake. The abortion staff came out furious thinking a “ding-dong ditch” game was happening - ringing the bell and running, but that was not the case!

Other volunteers have been particularly fond of G K Chesterton - appropriately Chesterton’s Estate Agents (formerly owned by G K Chesterton’s family) are selling the building, while the building closed on the birthday of G K Chesterton - some exciting coincidences!

We can only have immense gratitude for all those who have prayed to make this closure possible: what is for certain is that prayer is immensely powerful, and sometimes our prayers are answered in spectacular ways! All Glory to God!