As they do each fall and spring, hundreds of Alaskan pro-life advocates plan to participate in the 40-day public prayer vigil near the state’s largest abortion clinic in Anchorage.

This year’s 40 Days for Life vigil began on Feb. 18, but the official kickoff event will be at 5 p.m. on Feb. 20 outside the Planned Parenthood abortion center at 4001 Lake Otis Parkway.

Organizers are recruiting individuals, churches, schools, youth groups and other organizations to sign up for weekly time slots to peacefully pray, hold pro-life signs, and bear witness to the dignity of Alaska’s preborn babies.

Since 2007, the international 40 Days for Life effort reports that thousands of women have changed their minds about abortion, and hundreds of abortion centers have shut down. Roughly 275 abortion workers have quit their jobs during these vigils, and 40 Days for Life claims that more than 26,000 babies have been saved from abortion.

Last October, pro-life advocates reported that one Anchorage woman changed her mind after visiting the Planned Parenthood abortion center. She told the vigil volunteers that she had decided to keep her baby.

The signature element of 40 Days for Life is a focused, nonstop prayer effort outside a local Planned Parenthood center or other abortion facility. The gatherings aim to send a powerful message to the larger community about the tragic reality of abortion.

The goal is to have pro-life volunteers outside the Anchorage Planned Parenthood from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until March 29.

Despite the fall of Roe v. Wade, Alaska remains one of the most pro-abortion states in the nation, thanks to numerous Alaska Supreme Court decisions that have struck down virtually every pro-life law in the state. Not only are abortions legal in Alaska for any reason, but the state also publicly funds abortions through the state-funded portion of Alaska’s Medicaid program.

TAKING ACTION

— The 40 Days for Life vigil website is live and ready for sign-ups. For more information, click here.

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