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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, September 9, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Argentine pro-life champion Mariana Rodriguez Varela expects hundreds of pro-life activists to attend a rally outside Canada’s embassy on Tuesday in solidarity with Mary Wagner, a Canadian who has been in jail since April 17 because she tried to rescue babies from abortion.

Celebrated in Argentina for her media appearances during last year’s debate in the South American nation’s Congress over the legalization of abortion, Rodriguez Varela said she and other pro-lifers will assemble outside of the Canadian embassy in Buenos Aires to pray the Rosary and express solidarity and admiration for Wagner. They are hoping that Canadian authorities will recognize Wagner’s peaceful advocacy for the value of human life and release her.

Wagner has spent a total of over five years in jail for her frequent pro-life witnesses in violation of laws that prohibit her from quietly talking to abortion-minded pregnant mothers and offering them help. She has spent more than four months in jail as a result of her most recent conviction. This was for “mischief and illegal obstruction of property” after she peacefully pleaded on behalf of babies whose lives were being taken at an abortion facility in British Columbia.

Pro-life advocates who are not able to assemble in Buenos Aires are planning to pray at churches throughout the country on Tuesday. Rodriguez Varela said Wagner’s family members are asking fellow Canadians to do the same and draw attention to her sacrifice. Wagner is to face trial on Tuesday or Wednesday in Vancouver.

Rodriguez Varela told LifeSiteNews that Argentine pro-lifers will pray and bring roses to the Canadian diplomatic mission in tribute to Wagner and as a reminder of the value of human life. Wagner brings roses to abortion facilities, where she counsels women and abortionists against abortion and in favor of saving innocent lives.

Rodriguez Varela is known for her faith-filled and cheerful defense of human life in her public appearances and in the media. In a telephone conversation, she told LifeSiteNews about an incident that led her to become much more involved in the pro-life movement.

“I am one of eight children,” she said, “and our parents always taught us about the value of human life.” Her mother frequently told her that every human life bears the possibility of being “extraordinary.” Having reflected on the many gifts she had received in her life, including loving parents and siblings, marriage and children, Rodriguez Varela said that after prayer she was called to do more.

It was while she and a friend were counseling a woman against abortion that a change came about. She and her fellow counselor told the prospective mother about the risks of abortion, as well as the incidence of depression and suicide among post-abortive women. It was to no avail because the mother of the unborn child insisted that she wanted an abortion, despite their appeals and information they provided about alternatives that included adoption.

When the woman prepared to leave, Rodriguez Varela’s companion told her, “If you go through that door and have the abortion, it will be as though a truck has struck you. You will never be the same.” This prompted Rodriguez Varela to understand both the finality of abortion and its effects on women. 

Three years ago, Rodriguez Varela suffered a miscarriage at age 46 that caused sadness and months of depression. Already being a mother of six, she had feared the consequences of giving birth later in life. After her loss, her depression grew even while she prayed for deliverance. However, it was not until her brother suggested that she name the baby that the cloud lifted. “I named her Felicitas, and the depression went away,” she told LifeSiteNews.

Since that time, Rodriguez Varela said he has dedicated her free time to campaigning for life. In gratitude to God for her deliverance and for many other favors, Rodriguez Varela said she wants to help prevent abortion but also assist post-abortive women. She has received hundreds of letters and phone calls from women who have attested to their own sadness and suicide, which she and her allies have sought to alleviate through counseling and resources after abortion.