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The 40 Days for Life Campaign Starts Ash Wednesday
  
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By Erin Maguire, The Bulletin
In time for the penitential season of Lent, local pro-life groups will join the national campaign 40 Days for Life to pray and fast for an end to abortion. This campaign beginning tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, marks the fourth countrywide event since October 2007. Currently, there are more than 130 communities in the United States, Canada, Australia and Northern Ireland that are hosting 40 Days for Life events Feb. 25 until April 5.
Regionally, Chester County Pro-Life Coalition, Pro-Life Union of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Mainline Coalition are all organizing or helping to coordinate 40 Days for Life vigils.
Chester County will witness outside the Planned Parenthood office in West Chester from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. seven days a week during the campaign.
Bill Wohlgemuth, vice president of the Chester County Pro-Life Coalition, said participation is up by at least 100 people from its fall 40 Days campaign. He attributed the raise in numbers to increased “awareness” with the national campaign as well as the recent ant-life decisions made by Congress.
“The overall goal is to make people aware of what goes on at Planned Parenthood in West Chester,” Mr. Wohlgemuth said. “Many people don’t even realize that there’s a killing center here that kills a whole classroom of children every week.”
He also noted that the significance of the campaign’s timing.
“Lent is a traditional Christian time for prayer and repentance and retribution for sin, a time for looking inward at what changes should be made in oneself and the world about us,” he said.
MainLine Coalition hopes to hold a 24-hour perpetual vigil outside Bryn Mawr Hospital, although spots on its Web site 40daysforlife.com/main
linecoalition have not been filled to make this a reality. MainLine will also pray sporadically outside Paoli and Lankenau Hospitals.
“We cannot pretend to be happy with the way America is situated currently with the number of abortions exceeding 50 million and to face this right under the roofs of hospitals where we go for treatment is hard to stomach,” Jim Schneller, an organizer for MainLine 40 Days said. “40 Days for Life is a campaign of concerted prayer and fasting with our co-believers and standing for public witness. It involves pro-life issues in general as well.”
Angel Kuchukian, local director for MainLine, affirmed Mr. Schneller’s reasoning. She said MainLine is “building on what [it] started” with its first 40 Days campaign when MainLine was organized in 2007.
“The goal is same as every year: to eliminate abortions in the hospitals,” Ms. Kuchukian said. “The people that have children delivered there are shocked that doctors there kill children before they are born; our goal is to raise pubic awareness.”
The Pro-Life Union is overseeing events at Abington Memorial Hospital and Planned Parenthoods in Collegeville, Warminster and Northeast Philadelphia.
The Abington Memorial Hospital event is only this week in anticipation of an annual board meeting with pro-life leaders and hospital employees next week. Vigils outside Planned Parenthoods on Louis Drive in Warminster and Northeast Philadelphia on Comly Road will be held Fridays from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. The Collegeville vigil will be perpetual.
“The feeling of pro-life people that the issue of life has been pushed to the [political] back burner — there could be a sense of despair or dismay about our movement,” Ms. Finnegan said. “40 Days for Life gives people who may have those feelings a tangible opportunity to do something to stop abortion.”
Since its inception over 175,000 people have participated in 40 Days for Life campaigns. The Web site documents 1,128 unborn children “saved” from abortion and three abortion facilities closed as a result of the events.
Edel Finnegan, executive director of the Pro-Life Union, said those interested in participated in the Abington and Friday Planned Parenthood vigils should contact the Pro-Life Union at 215-885-8150. She advised visiting 40daysforlife.com for more information about the other local vigils.
Erin Maguire can be reached at emaguire@thebulletin.us
Regionally, Chester County Pro-Life Coalition, Pro-Life Union of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Mainline Coalition are all organizing or helping to coordinate 40 Days for Life vigils.
Chester County will witness outside the Planned Parenthood office in West Chester from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. seven days a week during the campaign.
Bill Wohlgemuth, vice president of the Chester County Pro-Life Coalition, said participation is up by at least 100 people from its fall 40 Days campaign. He attributed the raise in numbers to increased “awareness” with the national campaign as well as the recent ant-life decisions made by Congress.
“The overall goal is to make people aware of what goes on at Planned Parenthood in West Chester,” Mr. Wohlgemuth said. “Many people don’t even realize that there’s a killing center here that kills a whole classroom of children every week.”
He also noted that the significance of the campaign’s timing.
“Lent is a traditional Christian time for prayer and repentance and retribution for sin, a time for looking inward at what changes should be made in oneself and the world about us,” he said.
MainLine Coalition hopes to hold a 24-hour perpetual vigil outside Bryn Mawr Hospital, although spots on its Web site 40daysforlife.com/main
linecoalition have not been filled to make this a reality. MainLine will also pray sporadically outside Paoli and Lankenau Hospitals.
“We cannot pretend to be happy with the way America is situated currently with the number of abortions exceeding 50 million and to face this right under the roofs of hospitals where we go for treatment is hard to stomach,” Jim Schneller, an organizer for MainLine 40 Days said. “40 Days for Life is a campaign of concerted prayer and fasting with our co-believers and standing for public witness. It involves pro-life issues in general as well.”
Angel Kuchukian, local director for MainLine, affirmed Mr. Schneller’s reasoning. She said MainLine is “building on what [it] started” with its first 40 Days campaign when MainLine was organized in 2007.
“The goal is same as every year: to eliminate abortions in the hospitals,” Ms. Kuchukian said. “The people that have children delivered there are shocked that doctors there kill children before they are born; our goal is to raise pubic awareness.”
The Pro-Life Union is overseeing events at Abington Memorial Hospital and Planned Parenthoods in Collegeville, Warminster and Northeast Philadelphia.
The Abington Memorial Hospital event is only this week in anticipation of an annual board meeting with pro-life leaders and hospital employees next week. Vigils outside Planned Parenthoods on Louis Drive in Warminster and Northeast Philadelphia on Comly Road will be held Fridays from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. The Collegeville vigil will be perpetual.
“The feeling of pro-life people that the issue of life has been pushed to the [political] back burner — there could be a sense of despair or dismay about our movement,” Ms. Finnegan said. “40 Days for Life gives people who may have those feelings a tangible opportunity to do something to stop abortion.”
Since its inception over 175,000 people have participated in 40 Days for Life campaigns. The Web site documents 1,128 unborn children “saved” from abortion and three abortion facilities closed as a result of the events.
Edel Finnegan, executive director of the Pro-Life Union, said those interested in participated in the Abington and Friday Planned Parenthood vigils should contact the Pro-Life Union at 215-885-8150. She advised visiting 40daysforlife.com for more information about the other local vigils.
Erin Maguire can be reached at emaguire@thebulletin.us
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