Protesters gather in peace

Anti-abortion supporters gathered on the lawn outside the Planned Parenthood center last Saturday to kick off 40 Days for Life, a 40-day campaign protesting the abortions performed at the facility.

40 Days for Life is a program aimed at ending abortion. Over a 40-day period, beginning Sept. 28, participants peacefully protest abortion through prayer, fasting and constant vigil.

The event took place outside the Planned Parenthood facility at 123 E. Indiana. The facility offers the abortion pill, in-clinic abortion procedures and other services to aid sexual safety.

Program participants congregated to protest the controversial abortion pills and procedures performed at the facility by praying and listening to preachers and speakers talk about the pro-life movement.

The majority of attendees were members of the Spokane community; quite a few Gonzaga students were in attendance.

"We want to have a presence on campus," said Veronica Gieser, junior and president of the Students for Life Club. "Standing up for life is something we believe in."

A Planned Parenthood representative could not be reached for comment, but its website says that more than 90 percent of the services are "preventative, primary care, which helps prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception." The focus of the corporation is to promote sexual safety and awareness. It also provides pregnant women with options such as abortion, or help with adoption and parenting. They believe, "only you can decide what is best for you."

Despite the peaceful intentions of the protesters, the talk was not received well by the surrounding community. Many cars interrupted the speakers by honking their horns, making hand gestures and shouting out of their windows.

Along with these outbursts, the sprinklers on the Planned Parenthood lawn were turned on multiple times throughout the hour.

The water first came on at 2:25 p.m., about 5 minutes before the talk was planned to start. They  stopped about 20 minutes in, after the protesters put cans over the sprinkler heads, but came on again near the end of the talk, after the cans had been removed.

While the sprinklers kept people off the lawn, they did not affect the pro-life spirit of David Bereit, national director of 40 Days for Life, who spoke Saturday. "We always water things we want to see grow," he said.

According to the 40 Days for Life organization, "fasting is a sacrifice that helps [them] reach out beyond [their] own limitations with God's help." The fasting in this program is a fast from things such as food, television, internet or "anything that separates you from God."

The greatest point of the program, according to Bereit, is to "bear witness to the evil and injustice that takes place inside [the abortion facility]" by constant vigil. This means participants are a constant presence outside the center 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the next 40 days.

The campaign claims a profound effect over the five years it has been running. It says 4,313 lives have been saved, 53 abortion workers have quit their jobs and 16 abortion facilities have been shut down as a result of the 40 Days for Life effort.