Sunday, June 21 is Father’s Day. I recently had to ask about the date for Father’s Day this year because my own Dad has been deceased for a long time. So I usually ignore all the commercials and ads working so hard to make sure I buy their products as gifts for Dad. Products, I am told, that would be the ultimate expression of love for any father. The ads are lost on me because acts of love for my dad are now a bittersweet memory.
Maybe I no longer pay attention to Father’s Day, but there are a lot of men who don’t look forward to it for different reasons. This year there will be thousands, perhaps millions of men sitting in pews that have abortion in their past. I can’t help but wonder how they will feel during the church’s celebration, affirmation and acknowledgement of the power of a Dad in a child’s life – if they experienced an abortion.
From, “That Day Ripped My Gut Out – A Man’s Story”
My role in two abortions has been long-lasting. I can tell you that the mental and emotional effects on a man are real and devastating. I really don’t let anyone get close to me because I don’t want to let them down. I’ve had a divorce, no current relationship with my two living sons, countless unfinished projects, and several jobs left before true success–mainly because I never felt I deserved it.
Men with abortion in their past all have different stories and as many reasons for why and how they were impacted by abortion. If they were involved in more than one abortion, they may have experienced a variety of traumas. They may have abdicated their responsibility and paid for and insisted on the abortion. They may not have known about the abortion until it was over. Maybe they were in their teens and were coerced into having an abortion by their parents (or by hers). Maybe the man fought tooth and nail to save their baby from abortion, but couldn’t.
Very often the pain that abortion causes men is ignored by most of us, but based on the articles you can read below, that pain is very real and impacts every area of a man’s life. Let us not forget that for every woman who has been wounded by abortion, there is also a man who is likely suffering in silence, because we are told that “big boys don’t cry.”
Only Jesus Christ, the Lover of our souls, can bring complete healing after the trauma of abortion. And that is the truth for women AND for men. The ultimate expression of love only comes from our Father in heaven through His good and perfect gift of forgiveness.
“Grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God the Father and from Jesus Christ””the Son of the Father””will continue to be with us who live in truth and love.” 2 John 1:3
This Father’s Day, choose to be an ambassador of grace, mercy, and peace. Learn more about the impact of abortion on men, by downloading the free e-book, “Fatherhood Aborted” and also check out the additional resources below.
By raising your awareness of the truth about men and abortion, you can be a life advocate to the men that you may encounter this Father’s Day. Men who are your brothers, your fathers, your friends.
Reclaiming Fatherhood, Men and Abortion: http://www.menandabortion.info/l0-aftermath.html
Abortion and Men – How Abortion Affects Fathers & Families: http://www.theunchoice.com/men.htm#articles
Silent No More: http://www.fatherhoodforever.org/
Post-Abortion Trauma in Men Still Overlooked: http://www.theunchoice.com/Men/menoverlooked.htm