By Connie Beckman

For years, I’ve felt a call to raise awareness of the tragedy of abortion, and to offer hope to those tempted to make that deadly choice and those wounded by doing so. Sometimes, I’ve felt alone in the fight. At times, I’ve pictured myself on the battlefield of life all by myself, completely encompassed by the enemy.

But even though I felt alone, I knew Jesus was by my side as I continued to trudge forward. It seemed no one wanted to talk about the big “A-word” from the pulpit or in conversations with my sisters and brothers in Christ. Talking about it made people uncomfortable. But Jesus shared truth and also made people uncomfortable. Doesn’t Jesus call us to do the same?

If we persevere in prayer, God is sure to answer the desires of our hearts. When the first 40 Days for Life campaign came to Helena in the fall of 2008, I felt a sense of renewed hope, and I’m sure many others praying for the end of abortion did also.

According to the organization’s website, www.40daysforlife.com, 40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that draws attention to the evil of abortion through the use of a threepoint program: prayer and fasting, constant vigil and community outreach. The mission is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused, 40-day campaign of prayer, fasting and peaceful activism with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life, thus bringing an end to abortion in the United States.

In Montana, 40 Days for Life campaigns also have taken place in Kalispell and Great Falls. The campaigns are in the spring and the fall, with the spring campaigns coinciding with the Lenten season.

The campaign in the fall of 2009 was a time of great celebration for pro-lifers nationwide. That’s because Planned Parenthood in Kalispell closed its doors for good, as did an abortion facility in Pensacola, Fla., and Planned Parenthood got the resignation of Abby Johnson, the director in the Bryan/College Station area of Texas. These gains prove that praying, fasting and standing up for life do work.

The 40 Days for Life campaign has given me hope that those wounded by abortion, directly or indirectly, can begin to heal and come to know the love of a forgiving and merciful Father. If one member of the body of Christ is wounded, we all are wounded. And if one member of the body of Christ begins to heal, we all begin to heal.

40 Days has opened my heart to the deep brokenness of those who are postabortive. Rachel’s Vineyard and other post-abortion ministries offer them hope and healing. It is heart-wrenching to know that, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, currently “22 percent of all pregnancies (excluding miscarriages) end in abortion.” (And this statistic doesn’t include very early abortions caused by hormonal contraceptives.)

For women and men facing unplanned pregnancies, Catholic socialservice organizations, pregnancy resource centers and other outreaches throughout the United States and Canada are beacons of hope. They offer women and men the counseling and support they need to give their babies life, and to explore the options of parenting their children themselves or placing them for adoption.

Being part of 40 Days has given me a sense of hope—how God is working through all these wonderful ministries to bring hope and healing to his people. This life-giving campaign has given me real hope that we, as a people of faith, can change the culture of death into a culture of life, one soul and one prayer at a time. The next 40 Days for Life campaign will be in Helena and Billings, Sept. 22-Oct. 31. To find out how you can become involved, visit www.40daysforlife.com.


Connie Beckman is a member of the Cathedral of St. Helena Parish and has been active in the pro-life movement for many years.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 9, September 17, 2010.