CLC Blog

76-year-old Canadian pro-life grandmother Linda Gibbons was on trial today (Sept. 19) for 'interfering' with a business that kills preborn babies. Linda was in the Ontario Court of Justice in Toronto to face a criminal charge related to her witnessing to life outside a Toronto-area abortion centre.

Linda, a peaceful and loving Christian woman, was arrested four times this year for her witnessing to life, beginning in May. She was witnessing to life along with her trademark sign which reads, “Why Mom, when I have so much love to give” and features an image of a young child.

While she faces separate charges for breaching Ontario’s Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, which will be addressed in a different court in October, the charge she faces this time relates to her "interfering" on June 12th with the "lawful operation" of the Toronto Abortion Clinic, formerly The Morgentaler Clinic.

Linda is accused of “interfering” by means of her pro-life witness, which consists of walking back and forth in front of the abortion centre while speaking to female clients in an attempt to offer them the alternative choice of keeping their babies. The for-profit abortion business does not want women to be offered such a choice.

The key witnesses today included a police officer who arrested Linda along with two employees at the abortion centre. The presiding judge was Justice Maria Speyer. Mr. Mathew Bloch represented the Crown. Linda’s Amicus (friend appointed by the court) was Mr. Wine.

As usual, Linda remained silent during the proceedings in solidarity with the preborn who have no voice.

The three witnesses were brought forward today.

The first was Police Constable Adam Quhi. He testified that he arrested Linda on June 12. He made it clear during questions addressed to him that Linda remained on the public sidewalk and at no point did he witness her entering the private property where the abortion centre is located. He did not witness her blocking access to the abortion centre.

This is a crucial point since Linda has been charged with interfering with the operation of the abortion centre. According to this policeman’s testimony, however, Linda was not actually preventing abortion-bound women from entering the centre.

Next up was Michelle Hohenberger, an employee of the abortion centre who works in the accounting department. She testified that she was the one who called the police on Linda. During cross-examination by Linda’s Amicus, Hohenberger testified that the women who had appointments that morning were not deterred from keeping their appointments by Linda’s presence. These women were able to step around Linda and enter the abortion centre, she said.

When asked if Linda ever blocks the entrance off the sidewalk to the centre Hohenberger replied in the negative: “No, she doesn’t stand there and stay stationary.” When pressed by the Amicus, Hohenberger agreed that clients to the centre could get by Linda to enter the place of business. She admitted under questioning that on June 12, the center did not have to shut down or turn patients away due to Linda’s presence.

Next up on the stand was Rachel Foote, a 19-year-old who works as a counsellor and in administration at the abortion centre. She testified that she was “disgusted” to see Linda outside the abortion centre that morning, stating that she works in a “sensitive” environment, and it made her “uncomfortable” because she has to speak to the women who come to the clinic after encountering Linda and her sign. These women also “felt uncomfortable,” she testified. Foote said for herself it was a “hard situation to be in.”

When the Crown asked Foote to relate how the patients told her they were feeling, the Amicus interjected with a point of law to the effect that a witness could not make accurate statements about the feelings of other people. The witness was asked to step outside the courtroom. The remainder of the hearing involved a discussion of this particular point of law and whether or not Ms. Foote could accurately speak about the feelings of others.

The Crown admitted that he wanted Ms. Foote’s testimony about the feelings of others because this witness was prepared to give testimony that she had spoken to women on the phone who had an appointment and who allegedly claimed that they were fearful of coming to their appointment due to Linda’s presence.

As the hour was approaching 5 PM, the Judge, Crown, and Amicus agreed to resume on Monday morning in courtroom 905.

Please sign our petition to free Linda Gibbons here.