This is from a Catholic newspaper of which I believe it’s important to hear both sides of the story. I haven’t personally had any dealings with an abortion from a fathers point of view, but what I do believe in is making decisions that are right for you and your partner at the time. If this is committing something that other people feel very strongly against such as abortion – as this can be a very heated topic then so be it.

If you have been through abortion as a male please let me know what your experiences were like!!

- Scott

“Forgotten piece of the equation”
San Francisco conference to examine effects of abortion on men

A conference that promotes itself as the “first to focus on the effects of abortion on men” will be held Nov. 28-29 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco.

“Reclaiming Fatherhood, A Multifaceted Examination of Men Dealing with Abortion,” is being organized by the Milwaukee-based National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing and sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Topics for the conference at St. Mary’s include: “Men and Abortion: A Review of the Research,” “Trauma and Abortion,” “Sociology of Fatherhood and Abortion,” “The Masculine Side of Healing,” “Spiritual Aspects of Healing for Post-Abortion Fathers,” “Wounded Fathers: Why Do They Come for Help,” “Medicating the Pain of Lost Fatherhood.” “Looking for Their Pain In all the Wrong Places,” and “Forgiveness Therapy with Post- Abortion Men.”

Speakers include Dr. Vincent M. Rue, who directs the institute for Pregnancy Loss in Jacksonville, Florida. Rue has 30 years experience as a psychotherapist and has taught at California State University in Los Angeles and United States International University in San Diego. In 1981, Rue was the first to give clinical evidence of the condition “Post abortion Syndrome,” or post-abortion trauma. In 1984 he published the first article on the impact of abortion on men.

Capuchin priest Martin Pable will also address the conference. With a doctorate in Counselling Psychology, Pable does retreat ministry in Wisconsin. Pable is the author of several books, including Remaining Catholic: Six Good Reasons for Staying in an Imperfect Church, in which, says a Saint Anthony Messenger review, he supports his six reasons with personal stories and stories of converts, such as Scott Hahn and Jeff Cavins. Pable has also written, Quest for the Male Soul, which, according to an Internet review, helps men explore “what it means to be created in the image of God, to possess positive sexual energy, to be endowed with the courage of a warrior, to carry one's wounds gracefully, to grow in the mature exercise of authority, and finally, to be wise.”

"There is a great deal of evidence that women suffer from the aftermath of abortion, but post-abortion syndrome is not as well documented in men, who may suffer even more anger and grief because they aren't given a choice in what happens to their child," Vicki Evans of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing told the Nov. 16 Catholic San Francisco. "This Conference looks at the forgotten piece of the abortion equation -- the father."

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