Community Partner: 40 Days for Life

40 Days for Life is a peaceful and prayerful pro-life campaign found in 61 countries and 855 cities, and they have 1 million volunteers around the world! Oh, they have saved 16,004 babies from abortion—and that number continues to grow.

We at OneLife LA are proud to be community partners with 40 Days for Life, and we are excited to join them in their next campaign, a 40-day period of prayer and fasting, beginning Sept. 25 to Nov. 3, to peacefully stand for life and offer support to women in need.

Shawn Carney, the president/CEO of 40 Days for Life, chatted with us about why abortion is on the way out (the subject of his new book!) and why our OneLife LA event plays such a pivotal role in ending abortion.

1,400 Each month 1,400 babies are aborted in Los Angeles County, Carney reminds us. “Los Angeles is the abortion capital of the West Coast. There’s no getting around it.”

That’s part of the reason 40 Days for Life was eager to join us almost six years ago for our first event—and each year since they’ve walked with us and brought thousands of powerful prolife signs. The prolife message needs to be heard in a city that fails to value life.

Go Local “I always tell people to go locally,” Carney says. “So, if that means you won’t go to San Francisco [for the March for Life] because you live in Los Angeles, then that’s fine. Go to your own local march. That has a huge impact.” We need to impact the places where we live. We owe that to our community.

Ratio of 3:1 The prolife grassroots initiative (made up of families, churches, and individuals) is transforming the culture. Pregnancy Research Centers now outnumber abortion clinics three to one. “Planned Parenthood has been consolidating, and they’ve been closing abortion clinics,” Carney says, adding that by contrast the prolife base is growing with younger members.

Science, Reason, Faith “They have to live in a world of rhetoric,” Carney says of the pro-abortionists. “I think that’s why you see high turnover with the abortion industry.” Already 104 abortion centers have closed and 191 abortion workers have left their jobs for more humane work—all thanks to the impact of 40 Days for Life.

“The prolife movement uses science, reason, and faith to make our point,” says Carney. “And the abortion industry has to avoid the topic at hand.” He adds, “Pro-lifers gets younger. They get more effective.”

Meanwhile, the pro-abortion side is hurting. “Planned Parenthood, who turned 100 two years ago, is still involved in scandal. They are still involved in an investigation, and now they are looking at hiring their third CEO in 18 months.”

Archbishop José H. Gomez 40 Days for Life began in Texas in 1998. Who was there at that time? Our own Archbishop José H. Gomez, who regularly attended the peaceful prayer vigils in San Antonio.

“I’ve always loved Archbishop Gomez,” says Carney. “He is from the state where 40 Days for Life first began, and we never forget that. He’s been a huge advocate for 40 Days for Life.”

“He has had the courage to do this, and we want to support him,” Carney says about Archbishop Gomez’s decision to found OneLife LA. “We are big cheerleaders for OneLife LA, and I think it’s going to continue to grow. It’s a beautiful and positive event.”

We agree! Thank you, Shawn Carney for speaking with us. We are excited to see our partnership continue together towards a culture of life.

Shawn Carney is the author of the newly published book The Beginning of the End of Abortion