Mary Wagner (Canada) Explained

Mary Wagner (born 12 February 1974[1] [2]) is a Canadian anti-abortion advocate who has served prison sentences for entering abortion clinics to counsel mothers against abortion without consent of the facility staff.

Biography

Wagner protested in private abortion clinics in Toronto.[3] She was arrested for the first time in 2012.[4] Following a nearly two-year-long trial, Judge Fergus O'Donnell found her guilty of mischief and probation violation, sentencing her to nine months in prison and two years away from abortion clinics.

On December 23, 2014, after entering the Bloor West Village Women's Clinic abortion facility in Toronto, Wagner was arrested again and charged with disruption of business operations.[5] [6] [7]

In 2015, Wagner argued in court that violating her probation order by entering an abortion clinic and distributing anti-abortion materials to patients was a necessity to protect the lives of unborn children. This was rejected by the court and upheld on appeal.[8]

In April 2016, Wagner was released from prison after serving a sentence for counselling women at a clinic.[9] On December 12, she was detained inside the abortion center in Bloor West Village, after dissuading one of the women from aborting.[10] She was charged and sentenced to nine months in prison.[11] [12] In August 2017, Telewizja Polska reported that Wagner's mother appealed to Poles to send letters of support to a Canadian judge considering her sentence.[13] In September 2017, Polish right-wingers staged a demonstration in support of Wagner in front of the Canadian Embassy in Warsaw.[14]

Political support

In 2012, Conservative Member of Parliament Maurice Vellacott presented a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal to Wagner.[15] [16] [17] Some 60,000 medals were handed out, with each member of Parliament allocated thirty medals to disburse as they saw fit. Vellacott protested the honouring of Henry Morgentaler and hailed Wagner as a "hero of humanity".[18] Interim liberal leader Bob Rae criticised the award as potentially illegal incitement.[19]

In 2015 the Polish Post issued a stamp with her likeness.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2017-01-25 . Mary Wagner siedzi w więzieniu - napisz do niej na urodziny . 2023-06-03 . Instytut Gość Media.
  2. Web site: 2016-08-05 . Mary Wagner z Kanady w Rzeszowie - Diecezja Rzeszowska . 2023-06-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160805022034/http://www.diecezja.rzeszow.pl/2016/07/mary-wagner-kanady-rzeszowie/ . 2016-08-05 .
  3. News: Mary Wagner, Convicted Anti-Abortion Activist, Gets Diamond Jubilee Medal From Tory MP Maurice Vellacott. 2012-10-23. HuffPost Canada. 2018-02-16. en-CA.
  4. News: 'Your God is wrong': Anti-abortion activist to appeal conviction, saying judge attacked religion. 2012-06-07. National Post. 2018-02-16. en-US.
  5. Web site: Mary Wagner arrested again in Toronto while speaking to abortion-minded women. b. k. canadiantimes.ca. en-gb. 2018-02-16.
  6. Web site: Wyborcza.pl. wyborcza.pl. 2018-02-16.
  7. News: Canada - Arrestata l'attivista anti-aborto Mary Wagner. 2018-03-23. it.
  8. News: Protester fails to convince judge that anti-pipeline civil disobedience was a 'necessity'. National Post.
  9. Conscientious Affirmations: A Response to Conscientious Objections to Abortion. 2018. 10.1080/23293691.2018.1523120. Shaw. Jessica. Women's Reproductive Health. 5. 4. 277–286. 81240613.
  10. News: Canada: Natale in cella per l'attivista pro-life Mary Wagner - CR - Agenzia di informazione settimanale. CR - Agenzia di informazione settimanale. 2018-03-23. it-IT. 2018-03-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20180323092413/https://www.corrispondenzaromana.it/notizie-brevi/canada-natale-cella-lattivista-pro-life-mary-wagner/. dead.
  11. News: Mary Wagner potrzebuje twojej pomocy - wyślij list do sędziego w Kanadzie. 2017-08-21. gosc.pl. 2018-02-16.
  12. Web site: Poland Embraces Pro-Life Champion Mary Wagner at World Youth Day. www.crossmap.com. 2018-02-16.
  13. News: Działaczka pro-life Mary Wagner prosi Polaków o pomoc. 2018-03-23. pl.
  14. 'Murderers of the unborn' and 'sexual degenerates': analysis of the 'anti-gender' discourse of the Catholic Church and the nationalist right in Poland. 2020. 10.1080/17405904.2019.1676808. Żuk. Piotr. Żuk. Paweł. Critical Discourse Studies. 17. 5. 566–588. 210358322.
  15. Web site: They are the real heroes of humanity!. Maclean’s. 2018-10-02.
  16. News: Tory MP awards Diamond Jubilee medal to jailed anti-abortion crusader Linda Gibbons. National Post. 2018-10-02.
  17. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/23293691.2018.1523120 Conscientious Affirmations: A Response to Conscientious Objections to Abortion
  18. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mp-defends-giving-queen-s-jubilee-medal-to-jailed-woman-1.1198998 MP defends giving Queen's Jubilee medal to jailed woman, CBC
  19. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/tory-inciting-anti-abortion-activists-to-break-law-rae-says-1.1198997 Tory inciting anti-abortion activists to break law, (as well they should) Rae says, CBC
  20. News: Poczta Polska wyemitowała znaczki z wizerunkiem Mary Wagner . wPolityce.pl . 12 February 2015 . 26 April 2022 .

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