By Bridget Spinks
National Reporter
For the 40 days of Lent, Australians in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are uniting in peace outside pregnancy termination clinics to pray for an end to abortion in Australia as part of the 40 Days for Life campaign.
Over 150 cities around the world are participating in the pro-life campaign which originated in Texas in 2004 and involves prayer and fasting, constant vigil and community outreach.
In Sydney, the vigil began with mass and pancakes on Shrove Tuesday where over 200 prayer volunteers sang and prayed as they processed through the inner city streets from St Peter’s Catholic Church in Surry Hills to the preterm abortion facility on Randle Street.
By singing hymns, they drowned out shouts from local bystanders.
“It wasn’t the most welcoming community, not that anyone can be too happy about a large procession of people at 11pm,” said Jessica Langrell, 21, one of the organisers of the 40 Days for Life launch event.
“We are praying and fasting for the end to abortion and, through this, through our prayerful presence and witness to the sacredness and dignity of all human life on the streets of Surry Hills, we hope to bring about a new culture for the whole human society that lovingly embraces all life including the unborn. Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous has also thrown his support behind the initiative, saying the campaign gives “expression to the deep concern the Church has for the unborn”.
“As a society we cannot allow ourselves to accept the fact of abortion as acceptable, because we would be taking the view that human life is expendable. 40 Days is a peaceful, prayerful campaign, and has my full support," he said.
The campaign in Brisbane involves prayer outside Brisbane’s local abortion clinic in Bowen Hills while Melbourne’s is based outside the fertility control clinic in East Melbourne.
For Natalie Ambrose, 20, standing in prayer outside a clinic as part of the 40 Days campaign has been a new but worthwhile experience. “It’s confronting but it’s good and it’s worth it,” she said, regarding the seven hours of daytime prayer she has already given.
“Seeing the young girls going in and out, even if it’s only for a consultation, it’s upsetting … because I feel a lot of people don’t really know they have options,” she said.
“With the 40 Days, we’re not talking to anyone. On the whole, all we’re doing is praying to end abortion. People drive by and shout and yell at us, [because] they feel they need to react. I didn’t expect such a negative reaction but we have been getting one.”
The Sydney vigil has been keeping vigil through the nights as a special chapel with the Blessed Sacrament has been set up in an apartment near the preterm clinic for the duration of the 40 days.
This means that the Sydney vigil requires prayer volunteers to fill 960 hours. “Its a long time, but we’re fighting for life itself, and if we convert one heart, save one baby, one mother – then every hour will be more than worth the effort,” Miss Langrell said.
To find out more, go to www.40dayssydney.blogspot.com, www.40daysforlife.com/melbourne, www.40daysforlife.com/brisbane or search "40 Days for Life" on Facebook.