ST. CLOUD -- A pro-life organization stopped in St. Cloud Friday afternoon as part of a national initiative.

Nearly 100 people gathered near the St. Cloud Planned Parenthood office at 451 East St. Germain Street to support the 40 Days for Life initiative. Mary Jo Ruhland is a coordinator for the St. Cloud group she says since 2007 they've been coming out and doing prayer vigils.

"We are here for the sanctity of life because we believe that life begins at conception until natural death."

40 Days for Life has branches in all 50 states within various communities. The campaign's mission is to provide a peaceful approach to communities on what the organization views as consequences to having an abortion. Mary Anne Hermanutz is also a coordinator she says babies are not the only people affected by abortion.

"When a baby is aborted the mother is also hurt. We are not just for the unborn we are for those who are already born. We are here to give support and encouragement to mothers to carry their babies to term."

Hermanutz says the organization gathers at either abortion clinics or clinics that do abortion referrals.

"Like this one here [in St. Cloud], this Planned Parenthood is our worst enemy because they are the biggest killers of unborn babies."

Brody Hagemeier is the president of SCSU for life, a pro-life group on the St. Cloud State University campus. Hagemeier says those that seek to get pregnancy help through Planned Parenthood have many other organizations to consider.

"The many thousands of people in the St. Cloud area that want to see abortion ended once and for all and want to see everyone that goes into this Planned Parenthood location here in St. Cloud, on the east-side, find help and support and confidential free services from any number of other organizations specifically Birthline, the Pregnancy Resource Center or Catholic Charities, which can provide for all the needs of those that are going here [Planned Parenthood]."

The organization gathers on East St. Germain Street Monday - Friday from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. for 40 days. The initiative began on September 28 and it's closing rally will be on November 5 from 10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.

Anyone coming to a rally is not allowed to park in the Planned Parenthood parking lot.

Planned Parenthood in St. Cloud is not an abortion clinic but it does provide abortion referrals. The clinic focuses on women's reproductive healthcare, including providing birth control information, STD testing and UTI exams.

Chrissy Gaetke, WJON
Chrissy Gaetke, WJON
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