The former chair of an anti-abortion committee in Alabama was arrested last week on charges of sexual abuse of a child younger than 12, according to the Alabama Political Reporter.
Marty Decole “Cole” Wagner, 32, was the chair of the Alliance for a Pro-Life Alabama, as well as an Alabama Department of Education employee in government relations. He has since been fired from the DOE position.
“The allegations against Mr. Wagner are serious, tragic and shocking,” the state education department said in a statement, according to the APR. “While he was employed by our department for only a few months, Mr. Wagner has been terminated effective immediately. No further information is available at this time as the investigation is ongoing.”
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The Alliance for a Pro-Life Alabama announced in 2018 that it would campaign for the passage of a constitutional amendment against abortion rights on that year’s November state ballot. Abortion is now illegal in Alabama following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last year. It’s not clear whether APLA is still an active group.
“Passage of Amendment Two on the statewide ballot will allow Alabama to begin protecting unborn life as soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Wagner said in 2018, according to the APR. “The Alliance for a Pro-Life Alabama is tasked with educating voters about the constitutional amendment and providing them with accurate and truthful information while, at the same time, refuting falsehoods and misinformation that may be disseminated by pro-abortion forces within the state.”
Wagner was released on $60,000 bond and could face up to 20 years in prison.
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