What is 40 Days for Life International

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Helping to end the injustice of abortion

40 days for life is

an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses.

We are asking our society to open their eyes to the reality of abortion, and we do so in the most respectful way, in silence and through prayer and fast, right where this silent genocide takes place.

Our campaign combines a spiritual battle with social awareness, it pleads to God but also speaks to the people.

We are rooted in scientific evidence about when human life begins, shedding light over the pro-abortion manipulations. We stand for the fundamental rights of every human being on this planet, in all stages of life, including the unborn children.

Why do we pray on the street in front of abortion facilities?

Yes. We could stay at home or at the church, safe and comfortably away from social and media focus, and at convenient times of day. That's exactly what the abortion industry and their supporters want us to do. To disappear and stop interfering with their deathly business.

But there are times when it is required from us to get out into the world, be brave and stand by the truth and by the most vulnerable ones.

How can we ask the Lord to save His little ones when we are not willing to get out of our way and sacrifice our time or reputation?

The Apostles didn't stay at home to spread the Good News. Missionaries didn't bring faith to distant nations while sitting at home in a cozy sofa.

How could those 23.000 lives be saved, hadn't we stayed in front of an abortion center, just offering an alternative?

Yes, we are called to be Martyrs of Truth, and Truth cannot be hidden under the bed. It must be shown beside the window.

Since the first coordinated 40 Days for Life campaign took place in 2007, we've reached over 1000 cities in 63 countries.

See results

How it all started

Planned ParentHood

Around the clock vigil

Going nationwide

Making an impact

The crisis of abortion is enormous. A tragedy of epidemic proportions, abortion is the leading cause of death in the world, taking more than 50 million lives every year.

Where do you start when it comes to addressing such a global catastrophe? For four individuals in Bryan/College Station, Texas, the answer was to start locally and to start with prayer.

In 1998, Planned Parenthood opened an abortion center in Bryan/College Station. People of faith rallied against it, but in time the office was built and Planned Parenthood opened.

Each year, the goal of ending abortion in the Brazos Valley seemed to slip further away. But four members of the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life realized they needed to ask God how He would have them end abortion in their community. So in 2004, they gathered around an old wooden table for an hour of prayer.

During that hour of prayer, they found themselves drawn to the timeframe of 40 days-a timeframe God consistently uses throughout salvation history to transform His people. How might God transform Bryan/College Station in 40 days?

As that hour of prayer progressed, the four individuals felt themselves called to launch a 40-day campaign of PRAYER AND FASTING, COMMUNITY OUTREACH, AND A CONSTANT, PEACEFUL VIGIL to end abortion. They also vowed that even if no one else would join them, together they would cover the entire 40-day, 960-hour, around-the-clock vigil.

Finally, they gave their new project a name: 40 Days for Life.

The campaign results exceeded all expectations. In less than six weeks, more than 1,000 new volunteers helped ensure all 960 hours of the vigil were covered. A grassroots, door-to-door effort reached more than 25,000 households. The campaign made local, state, and national news. And the local abortion rate dropped by 28 percent.

In the year to come, communities across the United States launched their own campaigns: Houston, Texas. Dallas, Texas. Green Bay, Wisconsin. Kitsap County, Washington. Charlotte, North Carolina.

In 2007, the original 40 Days for Life leaders launched the first ever nationally coordinated 40 Days for Life campaign, spanning 89 cities in 33 states. Before long, campaigns had been hosted in all 50 states. And then the world came knocking.

Hundreds of cities in dozens of countries across all six populated continents have now hosted 40 Days for Life campaigns. Pro-Lifers in places like Houston, Manhattan, Indianapolis, Toronto, London, Sydney, Mexico City, Cape Town, Bogota, Moscow, and Hong Kong stand together in prayerful solidarity.

Many cultures. Many time zones. Many languages. But one shared language of prayer.

Since 2007, 40 Days for Life participants report tens of thousands of lives saved from abortion during a campaign. That's the type of impact that led an ACLU spokesperson to describe 40 Days for Life as the "greatest threat to choice."

But it's not just lives that are being saved. Souls are being won for God as well. Amidst the sixth 40 Days for Life campaign in Bryan/College Station, Abby Johnson - Planned Parenthood's employee of the year - changed her mind about abortion, and she turned to the 40 Days for Life team for encouragement as she left her job.

Abby isn't alone. Less than a year later, 40 Days for Life came to Sherman, Texas, leading Ramona Trevino to leave her job managing a Planned Parenthood. These two Texans are among the more than 200 abortion workers to experience conversion and leave their jobs through 40 Days for Life.

40 Days for Life has contributed to a groundswell of pro-life support worldwide. Over 130 abortion centers (and numerous referral centers) where campaigns have been hosted have closed their doors forever. The Bryan/College Station Planned Parenthood joined the list in 2013.

The building where thousands of lives were taken has been redeemed and now serves as the international headquarters for 40 Days for Life

With God's grace, this movement will continue until every abortion center goes out of business for good.

Meet Shawn Carney

President CEO

Shawn began as a volunteer in the pro-life movement while still in college. During this time, he helped lead the first ever local 40 Days for Life campaign. After graduating from college, Shawn was asked to serve as the executive director of the Coalition for Life, a local pro-life organization in Texas, made up of more than 60 churches. From its beginning, Shawn has been instrumental in growing 40 Days for Life nationally and then internationally.

Shawn is a regular media spokesperson, and his work has been featured on hundreds of outlets, including Fox News, The Laura Ingraham Show, The Drudge Report, The Guardian, USA Today, and Christian media including The Christian Post, National Catholic Register, Sirius XM Catholic Radio, EWTN Radio, and Focus on the Family.

Shawn is one of the most sought-after pro-life speakers, addressing audiences coast-to-coast and internationally. He has executive produced award-winning pro-life documentaries. Shawn co-authored the #1 top-rated Christian book: 40 Days for Life: Discover What God Has Done … Imagine What He Can Do and What to Say When: The Complete New Guide to Discussing Abortion. He also wrote The Beginning of the End of Abortion and To the Heart of the Matter. Shawn lives in Texas with his wife and eight children.

40 days is a timeframe God consistently uses throughout salvation history to transform His people.

See what people are saying...

The Holy Father greatly appreciates the dedicated work that you and everyone involved in 40 Days for Life are engaged in to promote respect for the lives of all unborn children. His Holiness assures you of his prayerful support for you, your colleagues and all those whose prayer, fasting and sacrifices are saving countless lives and giving glory to God.

POPE FRANCIS, Secretary of Vatican State

I wish that 40 Days for Life actions follow Saint Mary and Joseph way to welcome, guide and guard the gift of all human lives. I think that this is the idea behind those signs which read You are not alone, we can help you.

MONS. JOSÉ ANTONIO MUNILLA. ARCHIBISHOP Orihuela-Alicante, Spain

Our three pillars

PRAYER & FASTING

Christ told us some demons can only be driven out by prayer and fasting. The two go hand in hand. Prayer keeps us rooted in the fact that it is our desire to carry out God's will. Fasting is a sacrifice that helps us reach beyond our own limitations with God's help.

Each day during 40 Days for Life, individuals, churches, families, and groups will be asked to join together in prayer for a specific request so the entire Body of Christ can unite around a common focus.

People of faith are also invited to fast throughout 40 Days for Life. We believe that when God's people fast with a broken, repentant, and contrite spirit, our heavenly Father will hear from heaven and heal our lives, our churches, our communities, our nation, and our world.

CONSTANT VIGIL

The visible, public centerpiece of 40 Days for Life is a focused, 40-day, non-stop, round-the-clock prayer vigil outside a single Planned Parenthood center or other abortion facility in your community.

It is a peaceful and educational presence. Those who are called to stand witness during this 24-hour-a-day presence send a powerful message to the community about the tragic reality of abortion. It also serves as a call to repentance for those who work at the abortion center and those who patronize the facility.

If you do not have an abortion facility or Planned Parenthood office in your town, you can still conduct 40 Days for Life; however, you will need to select a different location which has some strategic significance - perhaps near city hall, a courthouse, or a highly visible intersection.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

During 40 Days for Life, the message is taken proactively to every corner of your community. Media outreach is conducted through carefully targeted news stories, talk shows, and editorials. Church involvement begins by meeting with local pastors, other church leaders, and members of different congregations.

A door-to-door petition and education drive reaches out to every household in your town or city. People visibly show their support for 40 Days for Life by wearing wristbands, placing signs in their yards, or displaying bumper stickers on their vehicles.

If your community has a college campus, many students can be impacted through an intense 40-day campus outreach. This can consist of flyer raids, public witness, petition drives, table displays, and much more.

Contact: info@40daysforlifeinternational.com
40 Days for Life USA
40 Días por la Vida Iberoamérica