More on Men and Abortion... Please Let Your Voice Be Heard

There has been quite a firestorm in response to the Reclaiming Fatherhood Conference in Chicago recently. If you know about the wounds fathers feel at the loss of their children, whether through abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, accident or illness, please share your comments in response to the Chicago Tribune's article. Those of us who know need to share our insights with the world.

Please take just a moment to share your thoughts by commenting on the Chicago Tribune website. Together, one by one, we can begin to right the terrible wrong done to fathers in our nation.

...Changing one heart at a time with the truth....

The Affects of Abortion on Men - Told by a Post-Abortion Dad

Following is a video clip everyone in America should see. It's one man's true story of the abortion of his child and how that loss has profoundly affected his life.

There is a segment of his story that was edited out.... It was the part about how in the early days of his loss he was violently angry and aggressive toward anyone that supported abortion. As he states in this clip, his pain was exhibited in outward behavior -- as opposed to the way most women stuff their pain inside.

Watch and listen as Jason Jones shares his personal story. Share it with everyone you know. Spread the truth that abortion hurts women, it hurts men, and it hurts everyone it touches.

Jason Jones' Testimony

Reclaiming Fatherhood

Last week marked the second annual Reclaiming Fatherhood Conference hosted by the Knights of Columbus in Chicago, IL. It was a wonderful time of learning more about how abortion affects fathers, how men process grief, and how word is spreading that abortion hurts so many.... Following is a quote from the Men and Abortion web site explaining the reason for and scope of such a conference:

The impact of an abortion experience on men is unrecognized by many. Men are hidden partners in every abortion decision. More than 40 million abortions have occurred in the U.S. alone since abortion was legalized here. Worldwide the estimates are that more than 43 million abortions occur in a year. In every abortion decision there is a male involved in some way. The man's role or lack of role in the decision can create a stream of consequences that may accompany the man through the rest of his life. Because men are told they have no say in the abortion decision--that it is about a woman and her choice--they later struggle with the questions they pose to themselves and the emotions they feel. Men often say "I don't feel entitled to my grief. It was her choice. Why do I feel so badly?" More men are recognizing that abortion was a life changing event for them. The difficulty for the man who wants to process the experience, is that there are few resources available to him. Mental health professionals have not recognized that an abortion loss may be a significant event in the life of a man. Addiction counselors, grief facilitators and clergy may not recognize the unresolved grief of an abortion experience that may have occurred many years ago. We are not sensitized to the ways that a hidden loss may play itself out in the lives of those who experience it.

This conference is designed to bring to the forefront what is known about how pregnancy may impact the male partner, the various roles a male can play in an abortion decision, and the implications of reproductive technology as it pertains to fatherhood.

Vicki Thorn of NORPAH is the person spearheading these conferences. Vicki has been involved in abortion recovery for almost three decades and is one of the true pioneers -- along with a number of the other speakers at this conference -- where the abortion wound and subsequent methods of healing are concerned. Other speakers at this conference included: Dr. Vincent Rue, Dr. Catherine Coyle, Greg Hasek, MA/MFT LPC, Tom Golden, LCSW, and Reverend Martin Pable, Ph.D.

It's been a long road, and will be a longer one still, but the truth is being spoken, eyes are being opened, and our world is beginning to learn of the countless numbers of people wounded by abortion. Please keep these speakers and organizations in your prayers. They are on the front lines and the battle is heating up. Visit their web sites, be informed about the work they are doing, and send them notes of encouragement from time to time. They are committed to helping fathers reclaim their fatherhood and their position of leadership in families, our society and our world.

For more information, contact Vicki Thorn.

Godspeed, Vicki -- and to all involved in this awesome work!

"The Reason for this Sorrow is Genuine and Profound"

I am convicted this morning over the sin of our society -- the sin that has stripped men of their rights as fathers where the abortion decision is concerned. The sin that has prevented them from openly grieving the children they have lost to abortion. The sin that has kept (and continues to keep) some fathers from voicing their opinion when their girlfriend or wife was or is faced with an abortion decision. We have allowed our society to relegate the abortion choice to the mother only, rejecting the father's right to parent his child or to even speak his mind as the life of his child hangs in the balance.

The truth is that no one should have to choose whether their child lives or dies, but we as a society have done a great disservice to those fathers that would have chosen otherwise.

Father God forgive us and bring healing to the fathers that have not been validated in their fatherhood; the dads that grieve the loss of their children through abortion. Heal our men, Lord. Restore to them their lost fatherhood, heal their damaged emotions and wounded hearts. Heal our society, our country and our world from the brokenness, grief and destruction we have brought upon ourselves. Forgive us, heal us, and restore us to one nation under God once again...for Your glory forever...In Jesus' Name.

To read more about men and the grief of abortion see the article in LifeNews today.

Men, the New Target in the Abortion Arena

I was wondering recently what was available online specifically for men in regard to abortion, so I Googled the term. What I found was nothing short of appalling! I was shocked! Not only have we on the pro-life, pro-woman, pro-family side begun to consider the man's part in the abortion process, but the "other" side has begun to target them as well. The first site that came up on Google when I did a search for "Men and abortion" was a very slick, very professionally done web site that comes across as caring and compassionate toward men and their roles in the abortions of their wives or girlfriends. I do not doubt their sincerity, however, their idea of "help" was to advise men on how to find the "best" clinics and doctors to perform the procedures, to help them with any emotional struggles they might have in taking the leap to end the life of their unborn child, even going so far as to console the God-fearing, religious fathers with the notion that "God knows that your decision to participate in an abortion was not being done out of malice or hatred, but rather out of love and after deep reflection."

This particular web site offers a list of resources for the religious-minded individual...all pro-abortion organizations, of course.

How I pray that God will guard the hearts and minds of His people that they would not fall prey to such caring and compassionate deception! Please join with me in praying for the men, women and children of our country and world....

"Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil." Romans 16:17-19 NASB

For solid, compassionate, godly information regarding men and abortion, visit the following web sites:

Life Issues Institute

The abortion issue used to be about the babies. Now -- secularly (and politically) speaking -- it's about a choice. In recent years, however, we have begun to talk about the women -- the mothers -- and how they are impacted by abortion -- although we still have a l-o-o-o-o-o-n-g way to go in getting women the real help they need.

More recently, we have begun to recognize the pain inflicted on the fathers...the men that either walked away, manipulated, coerced, or were powerless to prevent the abortion of their child.

I spoke with Brad Mattes of Life Issues Institute a few days ago. He is a Christian counselor and radio talk show host that is passionate about the issue of abortion and what it is doing to both men and women. Although Brad has never been touched personally by an abortion, he has seen the devastating affects of abortion upon many men that have turned to him for help. In the brief conversation we had, I sensed the deep compassion and commitment Brad has for those wounded by abortion. Visit his web site to learn more about what he is doing on behalf of the post-abortive.

Please pray for Brad and his organization, as well as the rest of us speaking out on behalf of those wounded by abortion.

Blessings in Christ,
Mary