Commentary by David Bereit, National Coordinator, 40 Days for Life
October 5, 2009 (40DaysforLife.com) - Judging from the hundreds of e-mail messages I get daily, you like to hear stories about babies saved from abortion, and you like to see pictures of 40 Days for Life in action. So, today I bring you both!
Kristina and Michele in Syracuse, New York were praying in front of Planned Parenthood when two young women stopped to talk. One of the young women said she was pregnant and going to Planned Parenthood for an abortion.
Instead, she was encouraged to visit a pro-life pregnancy resource center where she was offered a free ultrasound. "Long story short," said Kristina, "the girl decided against having the abortion. Praise the Lord!"
"To all those who are there with us in spirit and praying at home, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts," Michele added. "It is because of your prayers and God's love and mercy that this young woman's baby was saved."
Sandy in Toms River, New Jersey reported that a young couple drove into the abortion center parking lot. The woman got out and walked towards the clinic; the man stayed in the car.
A counselor asked if the young woman needed any help. She told the counselor she was pregnant and couldn't take care of another baby because she already had a young child. The woman went back to the car, looked at the pro-life literature she was given, and then entered the building.
An hour later, she left the clinic and went back to the sidewalk to tell the counselor she had decided to keep the baby.
"I am convinced that all the prayers and sacrifices being offered to God since the start of the campaign had a part in this miracle," Sandy said. "In a spectacular display of religious unity in our belief in the sanctity of life, a group of women from the Pentecostal Church of Grace and Peace prayed at the front of the clinic while a group of Catholic women prayed by the entrance. This is what 40 Days for Life is all about!"
Melissa in Charlotte, North Carolina found out firsthand that because of its widespread availability, abortion can even tempt people of faith. At the 40 Days for Life vigil, she met a woman who was at the clinic to schedule an abortion.
"She broke down crying and revealed that she was a Christian, who had fallen into sin," Melissa said. The child's father, a married leader in her church, was pressuring her to have an abortion. "She knew it was wrong, but she didn't know what to do." She had spoken to her pastor, but had not received any definitive counsel.
Still, it was obvious the woman knew the truth; her car had a "let God have his way" sticker and the bible was sitting on the passenger seat. "We hugged her and listened to her as she poured her heart out and wept on our shoulder. After baring her soul," Melissa said, "she chose life!"
Melissa asks for your prayers for this woman. "She has a very difficult road ahead and she is obviously going to be ostracized by those closest to her for making the decision to carry this child to term."
Those are just a few of the stories of at least 123 lives saved so far by your prayers and participation in this 40 Days for Life.
I can't wait to share even more stories and pictures with you in the coming days!
(To find out more about 40 Days for Life, click here.)
