Planned Parenthood Affiliate Offers '40 Days of Prayer' in Response to '40 Days of Life'
The prayers include people on both sides of the abortion debate
As it turns out, the anti-abortion movement doesn’t have a monopoly on prayer.
A Planned Parenthood affiliate in Eureka, Calif., is in the midst of a “40 Days of Prayer” campaign, which is aimed at supporting pregnant women, abortion clinic escorts, and abortion providers, according to Fox News. The Day 1 prayer says, “Today we pray for women for whom pregnancy is not good news, that they know they have choices.”
Needless to say, anti-abortion advocates, some of whom are active in the annual “40 Days for Life” campaign, which is an initiative praying for the end to abortion, aren’t too happy about it.
An Orlando-based anti-abortion litigation group, Liberty Counsel, says “40 Days of Prayer” is “an attempt to mock and marginalize the highly effective ’40 Days for Life,’ which has unified half a million voices for the cause and saved at least 5,838 lives. As a direct result of this prayer event, 22 abortion clinics have closed and 69 doctors have stopped performing abortions.”
The prayers being used by the Six Rivers Planned Parenthood chapter were composed by Faith Aloud, which is a St. Louis-based religious organization, Fox News reports. However, they were not written for Planned Parenthood, according to the organization’s executive director, and they were not meant to mock “40 Days of Life” or anything else. Instead, the Faith Aloud organization said they are meant to be taken seriously, just like women who are in need of abortions.
According to PrisonPlanet.com, the “40 Days of Prayer” initiative “is based on the belief that ‘abortion is a very private decision that women do often make. One-third of all American women do make this decision at some point in their lives, and we want them to know that God loves them in every situation, and whether they choose abortion or choose to have a child, whatever their decision, that God’s love is always present for them.’”
The prayers encourage women who had abortions not to feel shame. They advocate for women in situations of abuse. They encourage the end of violence towards abortion providers. They applaud women who have the strength to follow through with what they feel is right and just, despite what some religions might have preached to them. They appeal for quality health care and access for women at all income levels. They are, essentially, pro-women prayers: They pray for all women, not just those who are pro-choice.
The Six Rivers Planned Parenthood prayer initiative started in March and goes through April 27. Here are the “40 Days of Prayer” in full:
The first 30 days of prayer
The final 10 days of prayer
Image credits: PrisonPlanet.com
God’s love IS there for sinners regardless of their sins, but the Bible is quite clear in its teachings against murder and that life starts at conception. This “prayer” is one more evidence of PP’s evilness.
OK- so YOU do that CW. I don’t put stock in the bible or your version of god. And, BTW, Xianity doesn’t hold a copyright on prayer- I’m pretty sure the pagans were doing for centuries earlier,. LOL!
It’s interesting how the Bible wasn’t “quite clear” in its teachings about life starting at conception until the last 30-40 years: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/slacktivist/2012/02/18/the-biblical-view-thats-younger-than-the-happy-meal/
I commend planned parenthood for turning to God to seek His blessing over the terribly devisive issue of abortion. I hope that God will answer each and every prayer that pleases Him. I hope that though this started as a mokery, a rebellion, a response to people of faith, that the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ will touch your hearts with love for the unborn. I pray that planned parenthood would make women more aware that having sex causes pregnancy, and learn to deal with the root of the problem, it’s not all ablut what women do with their own bodies once another body is forming within them.
Brain- do you even HAVE a uterus? No? Then PULEASE- do NOT pontificate about issues that affect them. My uterus is NOT Xian, nor governed by those myths.
Yes, it is true, pagans have prayed to false gods or man or the cosmos etc since “almost” the start of time. Of course that was after God actually started time by creating the universe. The bible is clear that “Thou shall not kill”. That is what is being done in an abortion. You may not be governed by Christianity and the bible but you wouldn’t be here if someone had aborted you.
I for one am glad to see this initiative. There are many Christians who support the pro-choice movement and don’t see the choice to have an abortion as a choice against God or the bible or Christianity. I’m one myself and it’s nice to see others speaking out.
This web site “encourages” a range of opinions, but you could use more “encouraging” language. Brian’s post/prayer was very positive except for the comments about mockery and rebellion (though not really out of line as an opinion). You could learn or take advantage of his example. I only hope that Brian’s interpretation of PP turning to God isn’t just a rhetorical, political smokescreen which I would think it is.
Actually, if you are going to pick and choose references of the Bible to support your own position (including to the author of the URL reference), you could consider Jeremiah 1:4,5 The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Using that reference, one might argue that the Bible indicates life actually begins “before” conception/implantation, even at some point before sex, marriage, or ?????
“I pray that planned parenthood would make women more aware that having sex causes pregnancy”
Naw, really????
In any case, this is a nice reminder that there are plenty of Christians in America (perhaps the majority? one can only hope that most Christians are like this) who are awesome, tolerant people whose main concern is kindness and love, much like Jesus himself.
I’m a Christian and I think this is awesome. We should always, always pray for women, for the health of their bodies, and for all to have access to safe reproductive care and medical treatment.
Oh Julie- why would I not be here? My soul would have CHOSEN to enter that embryo or fetus, complicit in the eventual plan to terminate and would manifest in another body that would be fully potentiated and realized in its own time.
BTW- twas the GODDESS and the GOD that were there at the beginning. She is not impressed at your forgetfulness. I will pray for your true spiritual rebirth ardently
Julie, you are hilarious!!! If God really started everything off, why on earth did He wait until later on to show Himself??? Why let the poor pagan sinners waste time with all of these “false” gods and goddesses? Honestly, some Christians appall me with their ridiculous claims. You can believe in God all you want, but if you show little to no respect for the other (equally legitimate, BTW!!) religions out there, don’t be upset when others mock your blind belief in a sky god who was apparently lame enough to not show Himself to the world until it was convenient for him or something.
And in terms of the actual article, I think it is awesome for PP to utilize this 40 days of prayer. Many people who pray are also pro-choice. Spirituality and religion are not the sole property of right-wingers.