At more than 1,800 locations throughout the United States, pro-life advocates will join together in the annual Life Chain to peacefully, prayerfully, and quietly hold signs conveying the message “Abortion Kills Children.”
With other messages like “Abortion Hurts Women,” “Pray to End Abortion,” and “Jesus Forgives and Heals,” Life Chain participants have educated millions of passing motorists as they line the streets and sidewalks of cities large and small across America. The goal behind the event, which started in California decades ago, is to gather pro-life people of all faiths to share the message that abortion destroys the lives of unborn children, hurts women and that adoption is a better solution.
“The 24th National Life Chain is a silent witness of the Christian community standing in honor of 54 million babies whose lives have been lost to abortion,” the organization sponsoring the event says. “Participants hold professionally-printed signs that are provided at each site and pray for human life to be held sacred in our nation.”
Mike Kofroth, Life Chain state director for Wisconsin, says the event, which will take place on October 2nd in the mid afternoon in most cities has a powerful impact on people.
“Since the start of Life Chain in Milwaukee, I have seen its most powerful influence has been on those who hold the signs and not the general public,” he said. “This influence is most critical on our children as they participate year after year,” he said, adding that it “can affect the public debate in ways beyond what we at first may realize.”
Sharron Albertson, one of the national Life Chain coordinators and the head of the events in Texas, tells LifeNews the events have been instrumental in encouraging young people to become active in the pro-life movement and that it has helped women change their minds about an abortion.
“We are glad to hear every year about students who have been part of a Life Chain and then later have convinced their school friends not to have an abortion. Students who participate understand that a third of their generation has disappeared and then convince their friends at school not to kill their baby,” Albertson said. “We hear every year about people who have gotten their start in pro-life work or in volunteering in their community after being part of a Life Chain, realizing that they can’t stand back and let things happen.”
“Today I heard about a young woman who drove past a Life Chain in Savannah, Georgia, ten years ago and decided not to have an abortion while reading the signs,” she said. “She brought her daughter to the Life Chain coordinators last year and said, “This is who I would have aborted ten years ago if you hadn’t been here. Every year young women report deciding not to have an abortion after reading the signs and seeing the people praying.”
“Last year on the first Sunday of October in more than 1,800 locations in 1,500 cities and towns across the United States and Canada, tens of thousands of pro-life people gathered to pray silently beside major streets and hold professionally-printed signs that are provided at the site,” Albertson said. “Again this year they will peacefully show solidarity in the Christian community for the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death.
Next year, Life Chain will mark 25 years of events across the country.
See https://LifeChain.net for information on the more than 1800 locations near you. Additional information is on https://NationalLifeChain.org.
