Praying outside an abortion clinic - worth every horrid minute!

American pro-lifers are having some modest success with their prayer vigils outside abortion clinics. The "40 days for Life" is particularly successful and I am reading the book on how it all started - it is on ibooks or hard copy - called "40 Days for Life" by David Bereit & Shawn Carney - gripping. See www.40daysforlife.com

Slowly but surely abortion clinics are toppling one by one - I believe there is one state which has no abortion centres left! That is the result of prayer. God is all-powerful!

The power of prayer is more powerful than governments. We are NEVER going to get rid of abortion through the law. But prayer vigils are doing something - oh yes! This week, the main BPAS abortion centre in Bedford Square, London is going to stop doing abortions from the end of June 2013. The prayer vigils have been taking place there for a number of years by a couple of pro-life groups - "The Good Counsel Network" and the "40 Days for Life". Twitter is awash with it. Just type in BPAS Bedford Square and a number of articles come up. 

I did it once - a year ago - as I wanted to see how practical it was for me to get to London and back in time for school pick-up time. I was also struck by the life of pro-life activist Ruth Pakaluk (RIP and I saint I should think). She said that she hated picketing and leafleting outside abortion clinics, BUT as a Catholic she did not have a choice to do NOTHING. After all it only takes for men to do nothing for evil to flourish. If we do nothing to stand up for the unborn then we will have to answer to God when the time comes. The people who favour abortion were all allowed to be born!

I did not want to go to London and pray outside the BPAS - of course I didn't! It was a cold day and I was nervous - deadly nervous. For I hate  confrontation of any sort. 

When I got to the prayer spot, there was a young man who was in charge - he was alone. This was the middle of the day so not many volunteers available. Then a young girl joined us as we started saying the rosary. One man on a bike stopped by and looked at all the posters of the campaign and said an expletive, then rode off. A man in a car stopped and said a swear word. But apart from that it was trouble-free. Unlike on one occasion (I wasn't there) - when the bishop joined the prayer group which was quite large, and some protestors started screaming abuse. 

I only did it the once. It isn't practical for me to get to central London and back for school run as it is a 3.5 hour round trip, and we live in a rural location which only has one train an hour to London. I did try and find a nearer clinic to my house - which would be suitable for a prayer campaign, but can't find any, or they just don't advertise. Or they take place in hospitals - I don't know. 

This news is significant I feel. The prayer vigils are going to continue and hopefully hearts and minds will change even if the law doesn't. Fewer and fewer doctors of all religions and none are prepared to do abortions. They can see the humanity of the child from as early as a few weeks after conception. The DNA is all there at the moment of conception.

But the praying to end abortion goes hand in hand with living life purely and chastely and with self-control. If society can master temperance and self-control - then miracles will happen. Single adults need to have self-respect and treasure their virtue.

See also www.goodcounselnetwork.co.uk