By Judie Brown
Here we are, at the midpoint of the 40 DAYS FOR LIFE campaign and just after the PRO-LIFE DAY OF SILENT SOLIDARITY, a national day of silent reflection for the babies, which was preceded by PRO LIFE MEMORIAL DAY on October 6. One has to wonder what has gotten into these pro-life Americans!
Of course, I actually don't wonder at all, because I know the answer and it is really quite simple. Zeal for principle, commitment to faith and respect for life, plus a healthy dose of humility before God all add up to the wondrous events occurring as the dominant media outlets give us nary a glance.
The 40 Days for Life campaign reports 268 babies already saved from abortion, not to mention that "a record 2,004 people from coast to coast participated in the 40 Days for Life midpoint tele-rally and webcast. Here are just a few of the unsolicited comments participants sent in after the call:
"What a blessing your webcast was to me and several of my friends. I just can't express with words how much this really encouraged me and my friends to go all the way with Jesus for saving unborn babies.
"Beautiful, thank you for the testimonies and prayers for this wonderful mission. Tonight's message on the web was awesome."
It is truly amazing to realize that not only have the prayers been working, but little babies are being saved from abortion and 40 Days for Life is energizing thousands of people in ways that will eventually change the way America sees abortion.
One of the ways American Life League supports this effort is by collaborating with local 40 Days for Life Leaders so that our Map Room reflects every single 40 Days for Life event taking place at Planned Parenthood abortion mills and other such facilities.
Across the country, 171 Planned Parenthoods face regularly scheduled protests, prayer crusades and sidewalk counseling tracked by American Life League's revolutionary Map Room.
Only one year after ALL launched the Map Room, the only site of its kind in the pro-life movement, scheduled protests outside Planned Parenthood facilities across the country have almost doubled to 234 protests at 171 Planned Parenthoods in 38 states.
The unity resulting from such cooperative efforts only signals the fact that a total pro-life victory, though not yet achieved, is closer today than ever before. The Map Room is remarkable, but it is activities such as the 40 Days for Life effort that make it even more effective in sending warning after warning to one of the largest pro-death organizations in mankind's history: Planned Parenthood. We are so happy to be able to make them twitch!
And there's even more good news. Just yesterday, according to Stand True Ministries' media release, "hundreds of thousands of students from over 4,000 campuses in 22 countries" took part in a silent pro-life protest on October 21. The purpose of this event was to stand in solidarity with the tens of millions of preborn children killed by acts of abortion. Stand True's web site for this event tells its visitors,
Since January 22, 1973 over 50,000,000 babies have had their voices silenced through surgical abortion in this nation alone.
Over 4,000 children have their lives taken each day in the name of choice.
Over 4,000 women are emotionally damaged every day.
For those who took part in this expression of solidarity with the babies, there had to be a renewal of heart and mind as the reality of what abortion does to a child and his mother became all too real. Silence and reflection have a way of doing that for people who are dedicated to pro-life principles.
And of course, we at American Life League not only rallied to assist in this effort but were pleased to have done the same as we prepared for and executed Pro-Life Memorial Day earlier this month.
All of this collaboration during the month of October, which is traditionally Respect Life Month, not only gives me a feeling of joy and gratitude to God, but it reminds me of the true meaning of solidarity. It is indeed any effort that places us at the service of the most vulnerable in our midst, but at a deeper and much more personal level, it provides an opportunity to experience solidarity with Christ our Savior, the One Who died for us because He loves us.
To all the members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this world of ours new signs of hope, and work to ensure that justice and solidarity will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed, for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love.
Judie Brown is president of American Life League and a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.
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