Brian Jenkins

By Brian Jenkins (Quebec Life Coalition)

I recently had the privilege of presenting the pro-life message to a group of believers in an innovative way.

I belong to a faith-based devotional group which met last Saturday, 7 December, for its annual social event at which its members were asked to contribute a five-minute entertainment segment to the proceedings.

By far, the most popular contribution is the singing of seasonal devotional songs. In previous years, friends and I have done this, especially as one of us is a gifted baritone singer. This year, however, at the suggestion of our spiritual director, we performed mini skits about the pro-life work I do on the streets of Montreal. There were two performances, each of which was appreciated by those present.

First, wearing the signs I carry with on St. Catherine Street, I interacted with Jim according to the following script:

Brian, sees Jim, greets him: “Hi.” Jim replies “Hi” and stops walking.

Brian: “Did you know that abortion is legal through all nine months of pregnancy in Canada?” I asked him.
Jim: “No!” I didn’t know that. I don’t agree with abortion when the baby is older. But in the first couple weeks, I don’t really see the problem with it.”

Brian: “Do you believe in human rights?”
Jim: “Of course!”

Brian: “And who should get human rights?”
Jim: “Humans.”

Brian: “If two human beings reproduce, what species are their offspring?”
Jim: “Human, I guess.”

Brian: “Then doesn’t it follow that abortion is a human rights violation?”
Jim: “Yes, yes it does! It’s not okay to kill a child, I get that now.”

In the second role play, I exchanged with Angie.

I see Angie approaching and I ask her: “What do you think about abortion?
Angie: "Well, personally I wouldn’t have one, but I think it should be every woman’s choice what to do with her body.”

Brian: “What about the baby’s body?”
Angie paused and thought. Finally, she said, “Yeah, I guess I never thought about that before.” She took a pamphlet and headed off.

Special thanks go to Justina van Manen for collecting these scripts her book “Stuck: A complete guide to answering tough questions about abortion.”