Post-Abortive Men and the Church

The church is not immune to the ravages of abortion. Warren Williams, founder of Fathers and Brothers in Boulder, Colorado, says the incidence of abortion inside the church and outside is virtually identical. And the impact is substantial. €śProverbs 28:17 says that a man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive until death, €ť Williams says. €śWhen you €™re involved in an abortion, you exhibit fugitive behavior running, hiding, ignoring, covering up. A church populated by people with a fugitive mind-set is an emasculated church. €ť

What prevents men from dealing with past abortions? First, men often don €™t know they are suffering. Symptoms of post abortion stress seem unrelated to the abortion itself: inability to form trusting relationships, difficulty bonding with children, anger, risk-taking, depression, suicidal feelings, panic attacks, addictions. Psychotherapist Jim Benefield says it can take up to 10 years before men make the connection between their unhealthy behavior and an abortion.

Second, talking about abortion isn €™t easy. €śIt was very tough for me to go back and revisit the abortion, €ť Chico Goff said. Williams of Fathers and Brothers says men need to know that they can talk about their emotions freely in a safe environment before they €™ll come forward.

Third, pastors are often unwilling to confront the issue directly. Yvonne Wagner, a crisis pregnancy center volunteer, discovered this when she began calling area churches to offer her services as a post-abortion counselor. Out of 100 pastors she contacted, only two felt her services were necessary.

Williams suggests that church leaders work together with organizations such as crisis pregnancy centers or Promise Keepers. In this way, pastors can point hurting men in the right direction and raise the level of awareness in the church.