SPRINGFIELD – The fall 40 Days for Life Campaign concluded on Sunday, Nov. 4 with an estimated hundreds of unborn children spared from abortion across the country.

The national pro-life prayer vigil was held from Sept. 26 to Nov. 4.

“The prayers and fasting work,” said Tim Biggins, the chair of the Pro-life Commission for the Diocese of Springfield. The 40 Days for Life campaign is a period of prayer and fasting, community outreach and peaceful vigil held locally in front of Planned Parenthood on Main Street in Springfield. Biggins said the diocese has been involved in the prayer effort since the fall of 2008.

Local parishes usually agree to cover one day during the campaign, but, Biggins said, given the other pressing issues, including the campaign against the physician-assisted suicide ballot question, participation was not as strong as it has been in the past. Despite that, Biggins said God was working miracles through the people who did participate. “God is honoring our meager attempts and our faithfulness,” he said.

Biggins cited two confirmed lives saved on Saturday, Nov. 3, the second-to-last day of the campaign.

“A young girl is pregnant and called her friend to go with her to the clinic. The friend came out looking for help trying to convince the young girl not to have the abortion,” he explained. “She spoke with the 40 Days participants. They gave her literature and she went back in.

“Then she came back out with another woman whose 17-year-old daughter was there to have an abortion. Then they both went back in, and both girls (considering abortion) came back out and decided to keep their babies,” Biggins said.

According to national organizers, more than 600 lives were saved during the campaign. They added that since 2007, there have been close to 6,000 unborn children spared from abortion across the country and 24 abortion facilities have shut down following a 40 Days for Life campaign.

January 2013 will mark the 40^th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the controversial Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the United States. The next 40 Days for Life campaign will begin on Feb. 13, to coincide with the start of Lent.

More information about the local campaign can be found at www.40daysforlife.com/springfield.