For nearly 43 years since Roe v. Wade—and for decades before that landmark case—abortion has been an ugly subject that many tried to hide under cover. But abortion must be one of the topics brought to light by pastors—especially this month.

“This fact is, we can no longer ignore abortion in our churches,” said APN President Sam Rohrer. “Many may be struggling with the scars of abortion in their own lives, and looking to the church for help, healing and restoration. Additionally, we must equip our people to stand up for the sanctity of life in their own communities, states and across the nation. In 2015, we were all awakened to the gruesome business of abortion, with the exposure of the barbaric practices of Planned Parenthood, who has now filed a lawsuit against the Center for Medical Progress, which spearheaded the revealing videos. Now that the seedy underbelly of the abortion industry has been uncovered, we can no longer turn a blind eye to this black mark on American history.”

In the days leading up to the Jan. 22 anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in America, Rohrer will discuss how churches can address abortion and bring the dark issue into the light during the daily, one-hour “Stand in the Gap Today”, which currently airs on 20 stations in America and addresses the cultural and moral issues of our time from a constitutional and biblical perspective.

In breaking news Thursday, The Washington Times reported that former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich “has teamed up with Christian organizations and pastors in an effort to influence the House of Representatives to overturn President Obama’s veto of legislation that would have defunded Planned Parenthood.” The veto override vote, for which two-thirds is needed for passage, is Jan. 26.

Gingrich is co-hosting a conference call at 2:15 p.m. EST today, Jan. 15, specifically with pastors, in support of the effort to marshal the votes needed, according to The Washington Times, with the following letter:

Dear Pastor,

I am writing to invite you to join a pastor conference call with Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona, Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, and me this Friday, January 15th, at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

We want to discuss the urgent matter of protecting unborn life by ending the federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

On Friday’s pastor conference call, we’d like to discuss with you how we can put pressure on every single elected official to vote with us.

So please join us for this pastor’s conference call this Friday, January 15, to hear how you can be a part of this effort.

Again, the call is scheduled for this Friday, January 15, at 2:15 p.m. EST/1:15 p.m. CST/12:15 p.m. MST/11:15 a.m. PST, on our national Tele-Townhall Conference Call Number.

The dial in number is 877-229-8493, PIN 114559.

Rohrer also encouraged pastors to find pro-life events in their communities so that members of their congregations could perhaps participate.

One of the largest events is the annual March for Life, where tens of thousands of concerned pro-life Americans travel to Washington, D.C., to stand for the unborn. For more on the March, along with related events, visitwww.marchforlife.org/mfl-2016. A pro-life calendar of events is also available at www.calendarforlife.org, where visitors can enter their zip code to find events in their area.

Added Gary Dull, APN board member and executive director and vice president of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network (PPN, www.papastors.net), “January is a wonderful time for pastors to unite and mobilize their congregations to stand for life together in their communities. We encourage all pastors and church leaders to also consider hosting an event or special prayer service in their own church as well.”