From training students on what it means to be pro-life to painting a Life Dress AND a Life Mural, it's an exciting time to be pro-life in Benque, Belize!
Last week, I had the opportunity to host workshops in a high school and junior college in Benque and Cayo, Belize. These are smaller towns on the western side of the country. Students come from Guatemala to attend these schools and even though it's Catholic by name, many of the students are neither Catholic nor pro-life.
During the week, I spoke with students on why it's important to be against abortion, and pointed out that 73 million human beings are killed every single year worldwide by abortion.
They recognized that this is a global issue.
Some students were surprised and horrified to learn that countries have used abortion to "exterminate" babies with Down Syndrome, and the eradication of baby girls using abortion also shocked them.
An area of the workshop that resonated with a lot of the students was the series of common arguments. This helped them approach common pro-abortion rhetoric with a clearer understanding of the pro-life message.
In addition to equipping these students with the tools they need to succeed as pro-life advocates, we also did some creative activism! During after-school workshops, they were able to paint a Life Dress filled with beautiful pro-love, pro-life messages and designs.
This dress is available for purchase here, and 100% of the proceeds will go to funding the pro-life work they are doing on their campus.
But that's not all! We also painted a pro-life mural on campus!
It says, "Love all human life" and features little hearts with babies inside them going all the way down the wall. Students stopped by during their breaks and after school to add hearts and discuss the pro-life issue.
While we were painting, one girl came up and told me that she wanted to help paint but that she isn't pro-life. I talked with her about where she's coming from and she ended up saying that she doesn't think abortions kill children because they aren't people yet.
I asked her, "When do they become people?"
She hesitated, "Maybe sometime later when their hearts start beating."
I explained that a baby's heartbeat can actually be detected before a mother even knows she's pregnant. She was surprised by how early that is! So she changed her answer. Eventually, I suggested that if we choose an arbitrary point in pregnancy to assign value and ban abortion, then that opens up the possibility for discrimination.
I said, "If abortion is wrong in certain circumstances or at certain points in a person's life, it should be wrong all the time."
This girl was very persistent, but as the conversation continued on, she started to soften a bit. By the end of it, she said she had never really considered the things I was bringing up, and because of this, she's re-considering her views.
What a beautiful interaction! And all while we're painting a pro-life mural and students all around us are listening.
Overall, this week in Benque has been an incredible opportunity to build up the pro-life culture and encourage young people to be activists every day of their lives.
Whether it's starting a conversation about abortion, supporting the local pregnancy center, or being the life-affirming help to someone facing an unplanned pregnancy, everyone is needed to make abortion unthinkable.
If you would like to contribute to this trip and for funding future workshops around the world, please click here. Your generosity is extremely appreciated!