Prayer-Soldier writes "During the 40 days before Easter, various pro-life groups are engaged in the 40 Days for Life Campaign to pray for an end to abortion and to influence local, state and national legislators. Their efforts are driven by a belief that life begins at conception and that abortion is not just the choice of the mother but impacts the life growing within the mother.
According to a 1998 Psychology Today article posted by Leadership U, researchers have found that while in the womb, a child can dream, feel and react to the sounds of the child's mother. The article relates that by 9 weeks, the child reacts to sounds. By week 10, the child is moving its arms.
An ultra sound video posted on the Discovery Channel web site reveals that children cry while in the womb. The Internet abounds with videos of child development before birth. While some women seek to learn about every moment of their child's development, others refuse to see the life growing within them as a person developing just as they developed themselves within their own mother's womb.
According to the 40 Days for Life home page, the campaign “is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion in America.” The campaign's vision is based upon “Biblical history, where God used 40-day periods to transform individuals, communities ... and the entire world.”
The history of the campaign dates back to 2004 when a small pro-life group began to pray for an answer to how to reduce abortion in their community. The early success of the campaign resulted in a 28 percent decline in abortions in the Texas community of Bryan/College Station.
In 2009 Bryan/Collage Station would also make national news over the controversy caused by the resignation of a Planned Parenthood Director who then subsequently joined the Coalition for Life. According to a 2 Nov 09 KBTX report posted on BryanCollegeStation.Wordpress.com, Abby Johnson resigned her position after she saw an ultra-sound of an abortion procedure. In giving her reasons for her resignation, Johnson related concerns that as a result of the difficult economy, Planned Parenthood began to change its business model to focus upon abortion as a profit center.
In the history section of the 40 Days for Life web site, it notes that, “After so many years of legalized abortion, many people of faith are experiencing a renewed sense of HOPE!”
Cited Articles and Posts
Leadership U (Oct 98)
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/tul/psychtoday9809.html
Discovery Channel (undated)
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/media/fetalcryingvideo.html
40 Days for Life Home Page
http://www.40daysforlife.com/about.cfm
Catholic News Agency Report (10 Nov 09)
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/judge_prevents_planned_parenthood_from_keeping_abby_johnson_quiet/
BryanCollegeStationWordpress.com (2 Nov 09)
http://bryancollegestation.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/college-stationbryan-planned-parenthood-director-resigns/
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