Joanne of Arc's blog

The Life Chain, a pro-life demonstration organized in Montreal on Sunday, October 2nd near the Namur metro station.

By Joanne of Arc (Quebec Life Coalition) - Photo: Joanne of Arc

On Sunday afternoon, October 2nd, Quebec Life Coalition organized an annual event called the Life Chain.

Each year, on the first Sunday of October, pro-life activists gather to form anti-abortion prayer chains in Canada and the United States. Their goal is to share a message in support of the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. In Montreal, the Life Chain has been organized since 1991, while in the United States it began in 1987. In 1990, Campaign Life Coalition began this activity in Canada.

Sunday's demonstration in Montreal took place near the Namur metro station, at the corner of Décarie Boulevard and Jean-Talon Street. On that sunny day, the group numbered about 20 people, both men and women, holding signs with messages in French and English such as:

• "Abortion kills children"
• "Yes to adoption"
• "Jesus forgives and heals"
• "Pray for an end to abortion"

It was a peaceful demonstration, with participants praying while holding their signs. A few cars honked in support of the messages, and some people even tried to interact with the protesters, but there was no opposition group in Montreal this year. The group included people of all ages, with slightly more women than men.

Among the motorists (on the boulevard) who wanted to talk through their windows, one man was astonished to learn in the exchange he had with our political operations' director, Arpad Nagy, that there was no law in Canada against abortion. This means that a child could be aborted up to the 9th month of pregnancy and the abortionist would not be charged with murder.

The organizer of the event in Montreal, Mario Richard shares a reflection on this, "The Life Chain is important. Yesterday, there was a gentleman in his car who thought that there was a law in Canada preventing abortion after a certain number of weeks. This is not the case. A woman can have an abortion at any time during her pregnancy and the abortionist will not be sued because there is a legal vacuum. These are important informations to know when having a discussion."

Denis Beaudoin, one of the demonstrators who has been involved in this movement for 7 years tells us: "Abortion, I have always been against it throughout my life and I think it is important that we educate people, because people are not informed. Abortion is murder to me. By being on the Life Chain, it is a simple way for me to show my convictions. Just like at work, the world knows that I am pro-life, and I am proud to be involved in this way."

One woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, also shares her motivation: "I'm participating in this event to allow people to question the fact that abortion is trivialized (and sometimes even encouraged) these days when it's really about ending the life of a little human being. We seem to forget that. The value of the life of this little baby is only attributed on the basis of the mother's desire to have a child or not. We talk more and more about the mourning of the mother who miscarries, which is good. But is the child who is eliminated in the womb less valuable? Is it less precious? I would like to see adoption encouraged again, not scorned. I understand that a woman or a couple may not feel equipped to welcome a newborn. Let's offer them support to keep their baby or let’s restore adoption as an option. Nothing is simple, but let's support life!"

That same Sunday, a Life Chain was also organized in Quebec City and Sherbrooke.

Radio-Canada and Le Soleil published articles about the demonstration that took place in Quebec City. In this case, the pro-life group was not alone in front of the CHUL hospital. Pro-choicers showed up with their opinions and signs.

In fact, the president of Quebec Life Campaign, Georges Buscemi, was at the Quebec City demonstration with two of his boys, Beni (10) and Maxi (11). He reports: "There were about thirty of us. The atmosphere was generally calm and orderly. The counter-demonstrators, on the other hand, were constantly chanting their empty and repetitive slogans. There were about 60 or 70 of them, and in between sloganeering sessions they played loud music. We were praying the rosary. We were interviewed by Radio-Canada and a cameraman from TVA came to take pictures."

Life Chain in Quebec City - Photo: Georges Buscemi

Also, in Sherbrooke, our vice-president, Brian Jenkins, was present. Here is what he shared with us: "This was the second Life Chain organized in Sherbrooke. This one was at the corner of King and Jacques-Cartier. All four corners of the intersection were occupied by protesters. There was a family of 5 as well as young adults in their twenties and seniors present for this cause. Some passersby were open to dialogue, while others were quite hostile. Still, it was a sunny day that we hope bore fruit. "

The Life Chains are organized in honor of the millions of lives lost to abortion. Despite the way they are criticized by the media and the pro-choice camp, they are peaceful events organized by people who want life to be recognized from the moment of conception. They are intended to educate people, rather than to upset them. Participants often include both men and women, as well as young participants, because it is important to inform young people about the reality of abortion in a society that prefers to indoctrinate them with the pro-choice movement.