40 Days for Life
40 Days for Life is an international anti-abortion organization and campaign network that coordinates 40-day prayer, fasting, community outreach, and clinic vigils.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
40 Days for Life is an international anti-abortion organization and campaign network rooted in Christian prayer and activism. Its central program consists of coordinated 40-day campaigns, generally held during Lent in the spring and again in the fall, in which participants pray and fast in shifts outside abortion clinics, hospitals that provide abortions, or facilities that refer patients for abortion. Campaigns also include public education, church mobilization, and direct outreach to women considering abortion. Participants are required to agree to a Statement of Peace committing them to lawful and peaceful conduct. The initiative developed in Bryan, Texas, in response to the presence of a Planned Parenthood clinic. Reference material identifies Shawn Carney, then a Catholic student, as the founder in 1998, while the campaign is also associated with members of the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life. The original local effort used continuous prayer over 40 days and sought to build opposition to the clinic and abortion more broadly. The name draws on recurring 40-day episodes in the Bible, including the flood narrative associated with Noah, Moses's time on Mount Sinai, and Jesus's time in the desert. The model became a coordinated national campaign in the United States in 2007, when organizers invited cities to participate simultaneously. The first national campaign involved vigils in 89 cities across 33 states. A spring campaign was added during Lent in 2008, complementing the autumn cycle. By 2009, the network included locations outside the United States, including cities in Australia, Canada, and Northern Ireland. The organization later expanded its activity across Europe and other regions, including Ireland before the country's 2018 constitutional change on abortion. 40 Days for Life presents its work as peaceful, prayer-based intervention intended to prevent abortions, support alternatives to abortion, and influence local communities. Its campaigns have been credited by supporters with helping mobilize churches and with persuading some prospective patients not to proceed with scheduled abortions. The organization has also been associated with clinic closures, including the closure of the Bryan Planned Parenthood facility in 2013 and the purchase of that building by 40 Days for Life in 2014. The organization has attracted sustained opposition from abortion-rights groups, civil-liberties advocates, healthcare providers, and some government or advocacy bodies. Critics argue that vigils can intimidate or harass patients, particularly when participants approach people entering clinics, distribute literature, or use religious materials. These disputes have contributed to campaigns for legally defined buffer zones around abortion facilities in parts of North America and Europe. 40 Days for Life rejects the characterization of its activities as harassment and emphasizes its peace pledge and nonviolent approach. The network remains active internationally, with recurring spring and fall campaigns organized in participating cities.
History
40 Days for Life originated in Bryan, Texas, in 1998. The initiative was created in response to a Planned Parenthood clinic and is associated with Shawn Carney and members of the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life. Its initial model was a continuous 40-day prayer campaign intended to oppose abortion and build local anti-abortion activity. The number 40 reflects recurring periods of religious significance in the Bible, including episodes associated with Noah, Moses, and Jesus. The organization initially operated as a local campaign, but its organizers later developed a repeatable model that could be adopted by communities in different locations. In early 2007, leaders proposed a simultaneous national campaign for any cities willing to participate. The first national campaign took place in the fall of that year and involved 89 cities in 33 U.S. states. Organizers introduced a second annual campaign during Lent in 2008, creating the spring and fall cycles that became characteristic of the network. Each campaign typically lasts 40 days and combines prayer, fasting, public witness, community education, and outreach to people considering abortion. Volunteers work in shifts outside abortion clinics, hospitals that perform abortions, or abortion referral centers. The organization requires participants to sign a Statement of Peace, which commits them to lawful and peaceful conduct. The model is designed to mobilize churches and local volunteers rather than rely solely on a centralized permanent staff or conventional commercial services. The network began to operate internationally by the late 2000s. The spring 2009 campaign included cities in Australia, Canada, Northern Ireland, and the United States. The organization also campaigned in Ireland before the country's 2018 constitutional amendment that permitted abortion under specified circumstances. Its international activity has made it a recognizable example of an American-origin, Christian anti-abortion protest model adopted in multiple national settings. A significant local development occurred in Bryan, where the Planned Parenthood facility associated with the organization's origins closed in 2013. In 2014, 40 Days for Life purchased the building. Supporters have linked the organization's campaigns to clinic closures and to decisions by some women not to proceed with planned abortions. By the spring 2019 campaign, reference material reported participation by more than one million people across 61 countries and described thousands of local campaigns. Other figures cited by supporters include participation from approximately 19,000 churches and more than 16,000 reported instances in which prospective patients did not have a planned abortion; these figures are attributed to advocacy or religious media sources and are not independently verified in the supplied material. The organization has also been a focus of major controversy. The American Civil Liberties Union has described it as a serious threat to abortion access, while abortion-rights activists have organized counter-demonstrations such as 40 Days of Choice. Critics in the United Kingdom and other countries argue that participants can pressure, intimidate, or harass patients by singing hymns, distributing rosaries, approaching people at clinic entrances, or handing out literature portrayed as medical information. Some providers and advocacy groups have supported buffer zones around facilities. 40 Days for Life denies that its campaigns promote harassment and emphasizes its peace pledge. In 2020, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust condemned the organization's comparison of abortion with the Holocaust. Despite these disputes, the organization continues to conduct recurring spring and fall campaigns in participating cities worldwide.
- 2019
Reported global participation exceeds one million
[1]Reference material reported that more than one million people had participated across 61 countries by the spring campaign.
- 2014
Former clinic building purchased
[1]40 Days for Life acquired the building formerly occupied by the Bryan Planned Parenthood clinic.
- 2013
Bryan Planned Parenthood facility closes
[1]The Bryan clinic associated with the organization's origins closed.
- 2009
International expansion
[1]Campaigns expanded beyond the United States to locations including Australia, Canada, and Northern Ireland.
- 2008
Lenten campaign introduced
[1]A spring campaign was added during Lent, complementing the autumn campaign cycle.
- 2007
First coordinated national campaign
[1]The first simultaneous national campaign involved 89 cities in 33 U.S. states.
- 1998
Founding in Bryan, Texas
[1]Shawn Carney and members of the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life developed a 40-day prayer campaign in response to a Planned Parenthood clinic.
Products and positioning
A faith-based, volunteer-driven international anti-abortion campaign network centered on recurring 40-day prayer vigils, fasting, community outreach, and peaceful clinic presence.
Faith-based advocacy campaign · 1998
40 Days for Life campaigns
The organization's primary offering is a recurring 40-day campaign held in spring and fall. Participating communities organize prayer, fasting, volunteer shifts, public awareness activity, and outreach near abortion facilities or referral centers. The campaigns are designed to be locally organized within a common international framework.
Public demonstration and prayer · 1998
Clinic vigils
Volunteers maintain scheduled prayer and public-presence shifts outside clinics, hospitals, or referral facilities. Participants are expected to follow the organization's Statement of Peace and to act lawfully and peacefully.
Community mobilization · 1998
Community and church outreach
40 Days for Life works with churches and local volunteers to promote anti-abortion messaging, recruit participants, and raise awareness about abortion within surrounding communities.
Controversies
2020
Condemnation over Holocaust comparison
The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust condemned 40 Days for Life for comparing abortion with the Holocaust.
Allegations of harassment and intimidation outside clinics
Abortion-rights activists and healthcare organizations have alleged that campaign participants pressure or harass patients by approaching them, singing hymns, distributing religious materials, and handing out literature described by critics as misleading or pseudo-medical. 40 Days for Life denies that its campaigns promote harassment and cites its Statement of Peace.
Marketing campaigns
- 2018Ireland abortion-access campaign activity
Ireland
The organization campaigned against Irish clinics before the country's constitutional amendment that changed the legal framework for abortion.
- 2009International spring campaign
United States · Australia · Canada · Northern Ireland
The spring campaign expanded into multiple countries, demonstrating the portability of the local-vigil model.
Outcome. 40 Days for Life developed into an international campaign network.
- 2008Lenten spring campaign
United States
A second annual campaign was introduced during Lent, with activity reported in 59 cities.
Outcome. The organization adopted spring and fall campaigns as its recurring operating rhythm.
- 2007First national 40 Days for Life campaign
United States
The first coordinated national campaign brought simultaneous 40-day vigils to 89 cities across 33 U.S. states.
Outcome. It established the organization's repeatable national campaign model.
Brand decisions
2014
Purchase of former Bryan clinic buildingOtherBackground
The Planned Parenthood facility in Bryan, Texas, closed in 2013 after being associated with the organization's founding campaign.
Action taken
40 Days for Life purchased the building that had housed the clinic.
2008
Establish a second annual campaign cycleStrategyBackground
The organization had begun with a fall national campaign and sought to align its activism with the Christian season of Lent.
Action taken
It introduced a spring campaign during Lent in addition to the autumn campaign.
Aftermath
Spring and fall campaigns became the network's recurring international operating structure.
Sources2 sources
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