From March 1 to April 9, as 40 Days for Life entered its tenth year, 344 communities around the world observed a 40-day campaign of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion. Christians prayed outside abortion centers, Planned Parenthood offices, and other public sites in its largest spring campaign thus far for this mission (40daysforlife.com).

The organization’s president, Shawn Carney, notes that the prayer vigils occurred at a time when “Planned Parenthood’s brand is at an all-time low, and 2017 is not shaping up to be a good year for the abortion giant and its CEO, Cecile Richards.”

Internationally, 40 Days for Life campaigns were conducted for the first time in four new countries: the Dominican Republic, Italy, Paraguay, and Zimbabwe. The campaign, conducted twice a year, consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting, peaceful vigil, and community outreach—such as education on campuses, in churches, and through the media.

The first 40 Days for Life vigil took place outside a Planned Parenthood abortion center in Bryan, Texas. That facility closed in 2013, and the former Planned Parenthood building now serves as 40 Days for Life’s international headquarters.

“The bottom line,” says Carney, “is that it’s time to pray—more fervently than ever—for an end to abortion.”