Editorial

As 40 Days for Life campaign ends, prayers still needed to convert hearts

The fall 40 Days for Life campaign ends on Nov. 6.

Although final statistics will not be available before The Criterion goes to press this week, we believe the campaign has borne fruit.

As of late September, we know of at least 228 unborn children who have been saved from abortion worldwide. There are no doubt countless others whose mothers chose life. We thank God for answering our prayers!

A campaign of prayer, fasting and peaceful activism, a nationwide 40 Days for Life has been held in the spring and fall since 2007 with the purpose of turning hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life and bringing an end to abortion. In the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, people have kept vigil outside Planned Parenthood abortion centers in Indianapolis and Bloomington, praying to change minds and hearts.

Some believe the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade—which legalized abortion on demand in 1973—was the end of our fight in establishing a culture of life across America.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Indiana’s new law to give legal protection to nearly all unborn children went into effect on Sept. 15, only to be blocked a week later by a preliminary injunction in a Monroe County court.

Judge Kelsey Hanlon, a special judge serving in the court, issued the injunction, temporarily reinstating access to abortion in Indiana up to 22 weeks gestation as allowed by state law prior to Sept. 15.

A few weeks later, the Indiana Supreme Court denied a request from Attorney General Todd Rokita to allow the law to take effect pending a court ruling. The state Supreme Court did agree to Rokita’s request to take the case and scheduled oral arguments for January.

The injunction tragically means in the next few months that thousands of unborn children will never be able to live the life God had planned for them.

In response to the judge’s Sept. 22 order, Indiana Right to Life CEO Mike Fichter said that the “blockage of Indiana’s new law means over 161 unborn children will continue to lose their lives to abortion every week this injunction stays in effect.”

The fight to protect the unborn still extends beyond Indiana. In its June ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged that the states, and not the federal government, hold the proper legislative authority to regulate abortion. 

But not all people believe that is the case.

Recently, President Joe Biden, who is Catholic, stated that his top legislative priority after the midterm elections will be to codify a national right to abortion.

During an Oct. 18 speech hosted by the Democratic National Committee, Biden promised that if more Democratic senators are elected and his party keeps the House in the upcoming midterm elections, the first legislation he would send would preserve abortion rights protections.

He also said he would aim to sign the bill into law close to Jan. 22, 2023—the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.

“The President is gravely wrong to continue to seek every possible avenue to facilitate abortion, instead of using his power to increase support and care to mothers in challenging situations,” said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “This single-minded extremism must end, and we implore President Biden to recognize the humanity in preborn children and the genuine life-giving care needed by women in this country.

“As pastors who deal daily with the tragic impacts of abortion, we know that abortion is a violent act which ends the life of preborn children and wounds untold numbers of women. The Catholic Church wishes to continue in our work with our government and leaders to protect the right to life of every human being and to ensure that pregnant and parenting mothers are fully supported in the care of their children before and after birth.”

As Catholics, we are called to uphold the dignity of all human life from conception to natural death. And the evil of abortion is an affront to that tenet of our faith.

We must continue our mission of storming the heavens with prayers to end this tragic occurrence, asking God to help us bring light to so many places that are still enveloped in darkness.

—Mike Krokos