Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
When the discussion is about the heartbreaking reality of abortion, abortion on demand, Roe v. Wade, or even Planned Parenthood, the focus is on women. And well it should be. It is the woman, created in the image of God, not the man, who gets pregnant. It is the woman, not the man, who nurses and nourishes the child in her womb. And ultimately, it is the woman, not the man, who gives birth to a baby boy or baby girl.
These are facts, which are both indisputable and indispensable to human life on earth. When it boils down to physically bringing a baby boy or a baby girl into the world, it is the woman’s body, not the man’s body, that God has created to bring new human life into the world. So it is understandable that when the discussion is about abortion, abortion on demand, Roe v. Wade, or even Planned Parenthood, the focus is on women. However, it is also a fact that men are intimately involved in this equation.
The fact is, it is his baby, too.
So when the discussion is about the heartbreaking reality of abortion, abortion on demand, Roe v. Wade, or even Planned Parenthood, men, who are a necessary part of the reproductive process for human beings, not only have a place at the table, but a voice that should be heard. While we must continue to focus on meeting the physical and emotional needs of women, we must also recognize that men, in their own way, suffer as well as women in the aftermath of abortion. (1)
Since the “Carnegie Stages of Early Human Embryonic Development” was first published in 1942, (2) medical science has made it clear, that when the man’s sperm and the woman’s egg occupy the same space, the woman is a mother and the man is a father. While men respond very differently to abortion than women, men are nevertheless impacted by the loss of the child. So as the Pro-Life community compassionately builds programs to minister to women who have suffered the physical and emotional pain of abortion, the same Pro-Life community should also reach out to the men as well, with programs specifically crafted to meet their needs.
How can this be done?
“Reaching Men Matters” is an Issues4Life Foundation PowerPoint Presentation (below) that explores this issue in light of my experience as a sidewalk counselor in Oakland, California, talking with men involved in an abortion. (3) The presentation is designed to start discussions that lead to effective Pro-Life outreaches to men and can be freely shared.
References:
1. George Skelton, “Many in Survey Who Had Abortion Cite Guilt Feelings,” Los Angeles Times, March 19, 1989, accessed July 29th, 2018 at: https://lat.ms/2Al9QIc.
2. Dr. Dianne N. Irving (a former career-appointed bench research biochemist/biologist), “Human Embryology and Church Teachings,” LifeIssues.Net, accessed July 29th, 2018 at: https://bit.ly/2OrdAe8.
3. Walter B. Hoye II, “WATCH: Abortion Regret is Real, But There is Help, Hope, and Healing,” Black Community News, accessed July 29th, 2018 at: https://bit.ly/2vjTmdQ
__________________
Presentation Link: https://slides.com/issues4life/reaching-men/fullscreen
Featured photo credit: Life News – Steven Ertelt
Walter B. Hoye II is the founder and president of the Issues4Life Foundation, the founder of the California Civil Rights and the Frederick Douglas Foundations of California, and proponent of the California Equal Rights Amendment.
