Contact: Amber Dolle, 40 Days for Life, 804-852-2979

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- "We may be on the verge of a turning point in the battle against abortion," said David Bereit, national campaign director of 40 Days for Life. "Response to our call for communities to participate in this fall's 40 Days for Life campaign has exceeded our wildest expectations." More than 170 cities will take part in this effort from September 24 through November 2.

The community-based 40 Days for Life campaign features 40 days of prayer and fasting, round-the-clock peaceful vigil outside an abortion facility and grassroots educational outreach. Simultaneous campaigns will be conducted coast-to-coast – and internationally – as part of a unified outreach in some 170 communities. In a number of those communities, peaceful vigils will be conducted at multiple abortion locations.

"We're especially pleased to see three Canadian cities joining 40 Days for Life this fall," said Bereit, noting that campaigns will be conducted in Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax. "As there will also be a campaign in Washington, D.C., this means that 40 Days for Life will have a presence in the capitals of two nations. We firmly believe that this campaign of prayer and fasting will have a profound impact."

In all, 40 Days for Life events are taking place in 45 states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. The list of participating cities is online at www.40daysforlife.com/location.cfm.  

"The spread of 40 Days for Life is amazing," said Bereit. "The growth of this outreach is a reflection of the excitement that people are expressing about the many ways 40 Days for Life impacts a community. This program is being embraced by cities conducting their first 40 Days for Life and those who are planning their second, third, or – in the case of Bryan/College Station, Texas – fourth campaign."

Bereit noted that more than 75 of the 40 Days for Life prayer vigils will be held outside of Planned Parenthood facilities. "Planned Parenthood is a special concern because it is the nation's largest abortion provider," said Bereit. Planned Parenthood's latest annual report shows some 290,000 abortions performed in a single year – almost one fourth of the total number for the entire United States.

"This fall marks a critical time for our country and our culture, and this heartfelt effort to pray and fast for an end to abortion is crucial with regards to our future and what sort of nation we wish to become," said Bereit. "We hope to share the truth about what abortion does to every community where it is practiced, and to make this fall the beginning of the end of abortion in America."