The anti-abortion “40 Days for Life” campaign launched another nationwide prayer vigil Sept. 24 outside four Maryland abortion providers.
The interfaith campaign will continue through Nov. 2, again backed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The campaign strives to have designated sites — Abortion Access-Whole Women’s Health and N. Howard Street’s Planned Parenthood in Baltimore City, Hillcrest Clinic in Catonsville, Gynecare Center in Severna Park, and American Women’s Services in Frederick — attended by vigil-keepers from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., seven days a week.
“I’m always there from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Mondays through Saturdays, just praying for folks,” said site coordinator Tim McCarthy of Catonsville, who added that he had about 100 local volunteers on tap for the Monday-Saturday vigil. “We are a prayerful witness. We’re not trying to block anyone’s entrance into the facility.”
The coordinated campaign, which stresses prayer and fasting, as well as curbside public witness, claims “tens of thousands” of participants at 179 American cities in 47 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces.
“There’s not been a huge increase in activity,” John Nugent, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, said of the campaign outside his N. Howard Street facility.
“It’s their right to protest,” Nugent added, saying he knew of no incidents with the protesters. “We just don’t want them violating the law as far as blocking entrances or loitering in such a way as to intimidate staff or patients.”
“More than 50 million children have perished from abortion,” David Bereit, the campaign’s national coordinator, wrote in an online update. “If ever there were a time to pray, fast, and put our faith into action, that time is now.”
Since the campaign began, more than 1,500 hours of curbside vigil-keeping has occurred at sites within the archdiocese, spokesperson Sean Caine told The Examiner, and more than 1,000 hours of private prayer and Eucharistic adoration.
Requests of NARAL, Pro-Choice America headquarters for comment were not answered.
