Abortion clinic prayer vigil ‘seeing results’

Cape Town Christians participating in a 40 day prayer vigil in front of a city abortion clinic are seeing results, said coordinator Colette Thomas in a Day 9 interview today.

“Since last week Wednesday, 13 February. we could see that the numbers [of women attending the clinic] have dropped. I spoke to some of the staff and said we are praying for them. The power of prayer is working,” she said.

“Cape Town there is breakthrough happening but we need to show the nation a strong front. We need more spiritual warriors. We need you to register and signup on www.40daysforlife.com/capetown,” she said, urging more local Christians to join South Africa’s first ’40 Days for Life Vigil’.

The Cape Town vigil, from 7am to 7pm daily, opposite the Marie Stopes Clinic on the corner of Shortmarket Street and Bree Street, is one of many being held around the world. Since its inception in 2004 the campaign has saved thousands of babies from abortion. According to live statistics on the international 40 Days For Life website , 94 babies have been saved in the first nine days of the 2013 campaign. The 40 days ends on Palm Sunday (March 24).

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Participants in the ’40 Days For Life’ campaign in Cape Town commit to join the vigil for specified prayer slots. They are praying for an end of abortion in South Africa, for the closure of the clinic and for the hearts of clinic staff to change.

Threat to call police
“[On] Tuesday, 19 February we had a visit from the Director of Marie Stopes South Africa and she said our prayers are intimidating the clients. She stipulated if we do not move she was going to call the police. We went on praying and said we will pray for her. We do know that they were having a meeting today because there advocate was also present when she made this statement,” said Thomas.

She said staff were standing outside and appeared “very disgruntled”.

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“One of the staff approached us. She asked us not to mention her name but could we please keep her in prayer because she is resigning today and she does not know how she is going to feed her children. She did not want the staff to know yet but she said it so loud that the whole office heard about her resigning.”

Thomas said another key staff member is also showing signs of discomfort about working at the abortion centre.

“What is making it worst for them, it is raining and they thought we would leave but we are being faithful and praying. God is not asking for our success stories but our faithfulness.”

She said the clinic called police in yesterday (Wednesday, February 20), complaining that the prayers were intimidating clients.

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“[The] police could not ascertain that we were intimidating clients because all they saw was us praying. They then informed us that the only way they can move us away from clinic is if Marie Stopes make a formal complaint in writing and we cannot see that happening because it will give them publicity which they do not want.”