by Support After Abortion | Mar 25, 2022 | Men Healing From Trauma
Introduced to pornography at 10 years old, Jeff Joaquin shares his wounds and healing
Jeff Joaquin serves on the Support After Abortion National Task Force, has been married for 22 years, and is a father to one 19-year-old girl and a boy who would have been 34-years-old. Jeff shares his story in hopes of “boasting of his weaknesses” like St. Paul to demonstrate that deep wounds can be healed, that the power of Christ is infinite and bigger than the wounds and bad decisions that we make.
Childhood trauma
Jeff’s story is likely similar to many men who are suffering from childhood trauma and wounds. He can pinpoint when it happened and the downward spiral to the depths of hell that it caused.
When he was only 10-years-old, Jeff was at a friend’s house for a pool party. Afterward, his friend, the same age, suggested they watch a movie. It turned out that the film was hardcore pornography.
Most studies show that kids are exposed to pornography around 12 or 13 years old but could be exposed as young as seven or eight years old. One national study of kids in the United States revealed that the majority of teens between the ages of 14-18 had seen pornography. Numbers were much higher for boys, 84.4% than girls, 57%.
Jeff would never be the same after that night. Introduction to pornography at such an impressionable age has devastating effects in relationships, in self-esteem and self-worth, promotes sexual violence, unrealistic intimacy expectations, and can lead to addictions.
The aftermath of Jeff’s trauma
Jeff’s introduction to pornography at such a young age left lasting effects on him, not to mention a giant space in his heart, a wound, that needed to be filled.
“That left a big hole, a big wound, and that hole has to be filled with something. I chose the not appropriate way to fill that wound and started drinking when I was 13-years-old,” said Jeff.
Between the ages of 13 and 21, Jeff got three DUIs. At 14, he started smoking marijuana and calls it his gateway drug. Beyond getting just “dumb and hungry”, it led him to a cocaine addiction.
He was a full blown alcoholic by age 21 and he was suffering.
“I never found happiness. I never found joy. All I found at the bottom of a bottle was a worm from tequila,” he said.
Somehow Jeff managed to be a star athlete and was being recruited for college football. But he left an opportunity to meet with a recruiter after a game to go party and do drugs. It was there that he nearly died of a cocaine overdose. He cried out to God to save him.
By that time, his wound was even deeper than the gash pornography, drinking, and drugs had left in his life.
The abortion decision
At 17 years old, Jeff’s girlfriend called him, said they had a problem. She was pregnant. He told her he would call her back the next day.
He did call her and told his girlfriend, “I’m not ready to accept fatherhood. You set up the abortion and I’ll get the money.”
He consulted no one about the decision, he didn’t pray about it even though he grew up in a good, Catholic Christian home. He only consulted one friend and it was to get the money I needed so I could pay a complete stranger to murder my innocent child in the womb of my girlfriend at the time.
“I thought the pain from pornography was bad. The pain and regret that I’ve had for the last 34 years because of that abortion that took place in 1987 – there’s not a day that goes by that that pain doesn’t just cripple me,” said Jeff. “Alcohol didn’t work. Drugs didn’t work. Very poor decisions throughout my teenage and early 20s, just one bad decision after another.”
At Support After Abortion, we are developing new curriculms to help men heal from abortion. We are aiming to get at both the heart and mind of a man who has experienced abortion. We currently have extensive content to help men who are wanting to explore healing from past abortion wounds at our website.
The beginning of the healing journey
Jeff shares his story because he’s not the only one who has gone through this kind of trauma, who has these kinds of deep wounds.
“I bring these weaknesses to you not to glamorize them but because I want everyone to know one thing, and these words come from the prophet Isaiah, this is the God of the universe speaking to me and speaking to you, he says, ‘that you are precious in my eyes and honored and I love you,’’” said Jeff.
While it’s been a long journey, this is where it started.
It was through Jesus, through His wounds, that ultimately saved Jeff. 1 Peter 2:24 says “By his wounds, we have been healed.”
If you or someone you know has been impacted by abortion, you are not alone. Call or text our confidential hopeline at 844-289-HOPE (4673). Women, this is your call: if your partner, male loved one or friend has had an abortion, visit us at www.supportafterabortion.com to learn how to create a safe space, and create dialogue so more men can receive hope and healing after abortion.
Footnote:
British Board of Film Classification. (2020). Young people, pornography & age-verification. BBFC
by Support After Abortion | Mar 25, 2022 | Men Healing From Trauma
Introduced to pornography at 10 years old, Jeff Joaquin shares his wounds and healing
Jeff Joaquin serves on the Support After Abortion National Task Force, has been married for 22 years, and is a father to one 19-year-old girl and a boy who would have been 34-years-old. Jeff shares his story in hopes of “boasting of his weaknesses” like St. Paul to demonstrate that deep wounds can be healed, that the power of Christ is infinite and bigger than the wounds and bad decisions that we make.
Childhood trauma
Jeff’s story is likely similar to many men who are suffering from childhood trauma and wounds. He can pinpoint when it happened and the downward spiral to the depths of hell that it caused.
When he was only 10-years-old, Jeff was at a friend’s house for a pool party. Afterward, his friend, the same age, suggested they watch a movie. It turned out that the film was hardcore pornography.
Most studies show that kids are exposed to pornography around 12 or 13 years old but could be exposed as young as seven or eight years old. One national study of kids in the United States revealed that the majority of teens between the ages of 14-18 had seen pornography. Numbers were much higher for boys, 84.4% than girls, 57%.
Jeff would never be the same after that night. Introduction to pornography at such an impressionable age has devastating effects in relationships, in self-esteem and self-worth, promotes sexual violence, unrealistic intimacy expectations, and can lead to addictions.
The aftermath of Jeff’s trauma
Jeff’s introduction to pornography at such a young age left lasting effects on him, not to mention a giant space in his heart, a wound, that needed to be filled.
“That left a big hole, a big wound, and that hole has to be filled with something. I chose the not appropriate way to fill that wound and started drinking when I was 13-years-old,” said Jeff.
Between the ages of 13 and 21, Jeff got three DUIs. At 14, he started smoking marijuana and calls it his gateway drug. Beyond getting just “dumb and hungry”, it led him to a cocaine addiction.
He was a full blown alcoholic by age 21 and he was suffering.
“I never found happiness. I never found joy. All I found at the bottom of a bottle was a worm from tequila,” he said.
Somehow Jeff managed to be a star athlete and was being recruited for college football. But he left an opportunity to meet with a recruiter after a game to go party and do drugs. It was there that he nearly died of a cocaine overdose. He cried out to God to save him.
By that time, his wound was even deeper than the gash pornography, drinking, and drugs had left in his life.
The abortion decision
At 17 years old, Jeff’s girlfriend called him, said they had a problem. She was pregnant. He told her he would call her back the next day.
He did call her and told his girlfriend, “I’m not ready to accept fatherhood. You set up the abortion and I’ll get the money.”
He consulted no one about the decision, he didn’t pray about it even though he grew up in a good, Catholic Christian home. He only consulted one friend and it was to get the money I needed so I could pay a complete stranger to murder my innocent child in the womb of my girlfriend at the time.
“I thought the pain from pornography was bad. The pain and regret that I’ve had for the last 34 years because of that abortion that took place in 1987 – there’s not a day that goes by that that pain doesn’t just cripple me,” said Jeff. “Alcohol didn’t work. Drugs didn’t work. Very poor decisions throughout my teenage and early 20s, just one bad decision after another.”
At Support After Abortion, we are developing new curriculms to help men heal from abortion. We are aiming to get at both the heart and mind of a man who has experienced abortion. We currently have extensive content to help men who are wanting to explore healing from past abortion wounds at our website.
The beginning of the healing journey
Jeff shares his story because he’s not the only one who has gone through this kind of trauma, who has these kinds of deep wounds.
“I bring these weaknesses to you not to glamorize them but because I want everyone to know one thing, and these words come from the prophet Isaiah, this is the God of the universe speaking to me and speaking to you, he says, ‘that you are precious in my eyes and honored and I love you,’’” said Jeff.
While it’s been a long journey, this is where it started.
It was through Jesus, through His wounds, that ultimately saved Jeff. 1 Peter 2:24 says “By his wounds, we have been healed.”
If you or someone you know has been impacted by abortion, you are not alone. Call or text our confidential hopeline at 844-289-HOPE (4673). Women, this is your call: if your partner, male loved one or friend has had an abortion, visit us at www.supportafterabortion.com to learn how to create a safe space, and create dialogue so more men can receive hope and healing after abortion.
Footnote:
British Board of Film Classification. (2020). Young people, pornography & age-verification. BBFC
by Support After Abortion | Mar 25, 2022 | Men Healing From Trauma
The influential role of men in an abortion decision and how they best heal from abortion
Men are highly influential over their partner’s decision on whether or not to keep the baby, whether they know this or not. Research shows about 80% of women say they would not have had an abortion if they had a supportive partner.
“It’s a shocking number,” said Greg Hasek, who has more than 20 years of experience as a licensed clinician helping men heal from trauma, addiction, and abortion. “Men in our culture have bought into this idea that we don’t have a choice, that we don’t have influence [over their partner’s decision] – but they do.”
Ways that men have influence on an abortion decision
Men have influence on the abortion decision when they support or encourage their partner. This usually includes some kind of acquiescence of the decision by the man, often when they say to her that they will support her either way.
“They won’t stand up and say what they really feel. Men think they are being loving by asking their partner what they would like to do or to say that they will support her in whatever decision she makes,” said Hasek.
Love is not doing whatever his partner wants and in many cases, this is what not women are looking for. In reality, this is not a loving approach taken by the man, who feels that it’s not his decision as culture has drilled into society. Women recovering from abortion often say that if only her partner would have said yes to having the baby, yes to stepping into the role of a father and supportive partner, she would have made a different decision.
Women want a leader and men need to take that leadership role in the relationship by standing up and saying they will get through this together and make it work somehow.
Another way men influence the abortion decision is when they pressure their partner. This is the angle culture zooms in on. How often have you seen a movie or television show or read a book where the man threatens to leave the woman if she doesn’t have the abortion or even offers financial assistance to “take care of the problem”?
“Women are very fearful of the loss of that relationship and oftentimes will choose that relationship over keeping their child because they don’t want to lose that relationship,” said Hasek.
Men experience pain from abortions, too
Research from Support After Abortion indicates that more than 22 million men in the United States have been affected by abortion and half felt they didn’t have a voice in the decision.
“The most painful way a man experiences an abortion decision is when his partner tells him about the abortion after it happens. For a man to be told afterwards that their child was aborted, imagine the trauma a male experiences,” explains Hasek. “The whole way a man is wired is to provide and protect for that child and now they are being told that child is gone. It’s very traumatic for them. In fact, I see, when that happens, men tend to have the worst symptoms….like post traumatic stress disorder, anger, helplessness, addictions.”
Men experience abortion in significantly different ways than women and while they don’t have physical wounds like women may, they can have traumatic emotional wounds that present as these symptoms that Hasek describes. Yet our culture tells men they should not be hurt by abortion, that is nothing to do with them.
But it does. They hurt, too, just in different ways.
The road to healing after abortion
As a trained clinician, Hasek assesses the presenting problems such as anger, addiction, or PTSD. Then he evaluates the symptoms, like intrusive thoughts about the child they could have had, or nightmares, or numbing of emotions to not feel the pain of the loss.
“We are treating the symptoms first, treating the addiction first, and oftentimes down the road, we get to the abortion experience and work through the forgiveness process and the grieving process,” said Hasek.
At Support After Abortion, we are developing new curriculms to help men heal from abortion with clinical experts like Greg Hasek. We are aiming to get at both the heart and mind of a man who has experienced abortion. We currently have extensive content to help men who are wanting to explore healing from past abortion wounds at our website.
Men heal differently than women
There are healing ministries available in many places around the country but men are not showing up. Yet we know through research from Support After Abortion that nearly three-quarters of men will seek out help and healing within two years of an abortion. But many have no idea where to go or if they do find a place that offers a healing program, it’s not something they feel comfortable going to. Men don’t go to support groups – they aren’t wired to sit down in a group and talk through their experiences.
Men looking for healing are finding that programs are using the same model of healing for them as they do for women, which is just not what they are looking for.
“Men tend to think through their grief, they are less likely to want to sit across the room and share their feelings like what a female support group would look like. Men are more experiential….the doing of things through experiences allows their right and left brain to integrate their emotions versus just talking,” said Hasek.
Hasek has found that men connect more with their emotions through physical activity like outdoor adventures or sports as well as the use of both audio and video, which helps to involve less of their left brain thinking and more of their right brain emotions.
For those who work in healing ministries and for those men who don’t know where to turn for help after an abortion experience, Support After Abortion is hosting experts like Greg Hasek at the Unraveling Roots of Men’s Trauma conference and his presentation is available to watch online. We’ll be exploring this issue of culture telling men they don’t need healing from abortion, as well as others that are overlooked when it comes to men healing from abortion trauma. They need to connect to their emotions in order to start healing and connection to feelings isn’t always easy for men.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by abortion, you are not alone. Call or text our confidential hopeline at 844-289-HOPE (4673). Women, this is your call: if your partner, male loved one or friend has had an abortion, visit us at www.supportafterabortion.com to learn how to create a safe space, and create dialogue so more men can receive hope and healing after abortion.
by Support After Abortion | Mar 25, 2022 | Men Healing From Trauma
Defining trauma and understanding its symptoms
Greg Hasek has a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and has been a licensed counselor for more than 20 years. Many men come to him for help in handling sex addiction but he started abortion recovery work in 2004 after realizing that around 40% of his patients also had an abortion decision in their past that contributed to their current behavior. Because of that focus, Hasek has unique insights into the symptoms of men who have experienced abortion and best practices to aid men in recovery and healing from that trauma.
Trauma and its symptoms
Hasek explains that trauma is “any event that happens to you that catches you off guard, that is overwhelming and too much for your ability to cope.”
Trauma causes a host of symptoms, some severe like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Symptoms of trauma can also also be pieces of PTSD like anxiety, numbing of emotions, intrusive thoughts, and shock, especially when someone finds out about a crisis pregnancy.
An unplanned pregnancy can be a moment of shock for both the man and the woman. Even prior to abortion, this kind of shock would fall under the definition of trauma. Men who have experienced trauma in their past could be triggered by a crisis pregnancy and exhibit anger, withdraw into themselves, or relapse back into an addiction as their presenting symptoms of trauma.
Abortion trauma affects men and women differently
Physically, women are affected by abortion in totally different ways from men for obvious reasons. Medical abortion is a physically intrusive procedure for women, can be a painful experience, and even cause physical harm to their bodies. During the surgical abortion at a clinic, they cannot escape what is happening and feel trapped.
For a man, when they first find out their partner is pregnant, that moment could induce symptoms of trauma. When they are sitting in that clinic waiting room, they are unable to fight for their partner and child. Men are designed to be protectors and providers and they cannot fulfill that role when an abortion happens.
“When a male walks out of the abortion clinic…they were not able to act on their fight. Women walking out were not able to act on their flight,” said Hasek. “Oftentimes I hear from men about how difficult it was to not provide and care for their partner going through that procedure and not be at their bedside while they were recovering so that’s very difficult to not live out that role again to take care of their partner.”
Chemical abortions are also traumatic
Research has shown a dramatic rise in medical abortions (when the pregnant woman takes pills to induce abortion at home early in pregnancy) in this country. This type of abortion is not without trauma.
For women experiencing a medical abortion, oftentimes at home and even alone, the physical trauma is not insignificant. There is intense pain and cramping and the action of bleeding and expelling tissue, blood, and the embryo from their body can induce visual trauma. Men cannot intervene and feel helpless and may internalize their emotions, which could present themselves later on as addictions and other negative behavior.
The culture shuts men down
Today’s culture fails to validate men’s trauma – sex abuse, domestic violence, abortion. However, men are viewed as perpetrators of trauma, not victims. Their pain comes out in addictions or anger usually, giving society proof they can be dangerous.
“Their pain comes out in symptoms such as anger, addiction, and other issues. Because male trauma is not validated, their symptoms send a message to our culture that perpetuates the very belief culture has about men. Their trauma comes out in addiction and abuse….and they are seen as perpetrators of female trauma. This is a terrible cycle,” explains Hasek.
This is a serious and immediate need in our culture today, to validate men’s emotions, acknowledge their trauma, and help them find healing.
At Support After Abortion, we are developing new curriculums to help men heal from abortion with clinical experts like Greg Hasek. We are aiming to get at both the heart and mind of a man who has experienced abortion. We currently have extensive content to help men who are wanting to explore healing from past abortion wounds at our website.
Healing Resources for men are available
Consumer research done by Support After Abortion reveals that nearly three-quarters of men will seek out help and healing within two years of abortion. But many have no idea where to go.
Even in Hasek’s established practice, men do not often come to him asking for help in healing from an abortion experience. They are asking for help with their sex addiction or their anger issues. But Hasek has found that 40% of his patients have an abortion in their past, sinking them deeper into their addictions.
Hasek works with men to deal with the root causes, including abortion, of the presenting symptoms to heal from past trauma so they do not relapse into harmful behaviors and emotional roller coasters. Leaders in healing ministries and clinical technicians and therapists need to get to the root of that anger and addiction that is contributing to their presenting problem of addiction.
“We as leaders need to look, if we are going to help men, is the most likely are not going to come forward with an abortion trauma as the presenting problem. We need to look at how we can make those correlations and tie back opportunities based on symptoms to help those men who have abortions in their history,” said Hasek.
For those who work in healing ministries and for those men who don’t know where to turn for help after an abortion experience, Support After Abortion is hosting experts like Greg Hasek at the Unraveling Roots of Men’s Trauma conference and his presentation is available to watch online. We’ll be exploring this issue of culture telling men they don’t need healing from abortion, as well as others that are overlooked when it comes to men healing from abortion trauma. They need to connect to their emotions in order to start healing and connection to feelings isn’t always easy for men.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by abortion, you are not alone. Call or text our confidential hopeline at 844-289-HOPE (4673). Women, this is your call: if your partner, male loved one or friend has had an abortion, visit us at www.supportafterabortion.com to learn how to create a safe space, and create dialogue so more men can receive hope and healing after abortion.
by Support After Abortion | Mar 25, 2022 | Men Healing From Trauma
There is no one-size-fits-all healing model
Janine Marrone has decades of experience using consumer research to better understand an audience. When she became the Board President for Support After Abortion, she put those skills to immediate use after finding that so many people who were looking for healing from abortion had no idea where to go or that the programs that did exist were not meeting their needs.
Support After Abortion commissioned four surveys, two of women and two of men who had experienced a reproductive loss. Much of the data points to the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all model for healing from the trauma of abortion. The data also reveals counter-cultural information about men who have experienced abortion.
Men are looking for healing resources
One of the more striking pieces of data that the consumer research revealed is that only a quarter of women who have been adversely affected by abortion try to find help and healing resources. But for men? About 70% of men will try to find healing following an abortion experience.
Why is that?
“Because in the case of men, what we’ve learned from the research is that they were not part of the decision and in many cases, they didn’t want it,” said Janine. “If you read the verbatim, they are talking about the mother of the child killing their child.”
That is hard to hear but it’s what men were revealing in the surveys. The research shows that around 95% of men had little to no input when it came to the abortion decision. That’s quite a helpless feeling.
In previous episodes of this podcast, experts who help men heal from abortion talked about how grief reveals itself in men. They are angry, turn to drugs and alcohol, and develop unhealthy addictions. It’s important for clinicians to recognize these emotions and dig deeper to find if there is an abortion in that man’s past and take steps to address the healing process.
At Support After Abortion, we are developing new curriculms to help men heal from abortion with clinical experts as well the findings from our in-depth consumer research. We are aiming to get at both the heart and mind of a man who has experienced abortion. We currently have extensive content to help men who are wanting to explore healing from past abortion wounds at our website.
What pregnancy resource centers can do
Pregnancy Resource Centers vastly outnumber abortion clinics in the United States. And they are the most numerous resource in terms of pro-life ministries in existence. But many do not have in place healing programs for men, or if they do, they are not reaching men who need it or the programs themselves are not what men are looking for.
“They need to take inventory – do they have a men’s healing ministry? Men are consistently being ignored,” said Janine.
One way that some pregnancy resource centers have successfully reached men hurt by abortion is by partnering with local clinicians and therapists to help with intakes. If a man who comes to a counselor or clinician with a seemingly unrelated issue (i.e. anger, PTSD, addiction), there is a good chance that he may have experienced an abortion decision in their past. If that’s the case, by partnering with these therapists, pregnancy centers can be a known resource with men-specific healing programs in place.
As a movement, those in pro-life and healing ministries need to take the research to heart and figure out ways to reach those most in need of healing from an abortion and tailor the programs to fit the needs of the men and women who have reached out for help.
“One of the things I’ve heard from pregnancy centers is, well, my board doesn’t think that’s a good idea. Well, invite your board to listen to these podcasts, to learn about what really is happening in society today,” said Janine. “This is not the culture we had 50 years ago. This is 50 years later and the damage that has been created by abortion is immense and the healing is necessary.”
Where to go for help if you are hurting from abortion or work in a healing ministry
Support After Abortion is focused on being a catalyst for change and helping prospective healing partners to become a part of what they already have.
For those who work in healing ministries and for those men who don’t know where to turn for help after an abortion experience, Support After Abortion is hosting experts like Janine Marrone at the Unraveling Roots of Men’s Trauma conference and her presentation is available to watch online. We’ll be exploring this issue of culture telling men they don’t need healing from abortion, as well as others that are overlooked when it comes to men healing from abortion trauma. They need to connect to their emotions in order to start healing and connection to feelings isn’t always easy for men.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by abortion, you are not alone. Call or text our confidential hopeline at 844-289-HOPE (4673). Women, this is your call: if your partner, male loved one or friend has had an abortion, visit us at www.supportafterabortion.com to learn how to create a safe space, and create dialogue so more men can receive hope and healing after abortion.
by Support After Abortion | Mar 25, 2022 | Men Healing From Trauma
Research involving men who have had direct experience with abortion is scant to say the least. This is not surprising given our culture’s view of men when it comes to abortion: “it’s a woman’s choice alone” culture says. They leave men completely out of the decision. This does not mean they don’t hurt following an abortion. They do. And they often don’t know where to turn when they experience those emotions.
At Support After Abortion, we are developing new curriculms to help men heal from abortion with clinical experts as well the findings from our in-depth consumer research. We are aiming to get at both the heart and mind of a man who has experienced abortion. We currently have extensive content to help men who are wanting to explore healing from past abortion wounds at our website.
Men are searching for healing resources
So what does our in-depth consumer research reveal about men who have experienced abortion? Quite a few remarkable findings it turns out.
Consumer research is standard practice for most large companies as they develop and roll out new products. Janine Marrone, Board President at Support After Abortion, has extensive experience in this area and she used that expertise to conduct polling and surveys of both men and women who have experienced abortion. For the purpose of this podcast, the focus is on the research of men who have direct experience with an abortion decision.
“We learned nearly 45% of men said they didn’t have a voice in the decision and 50% said it was hers or someone else,” said Janine Marrone. “Only 5% or so said it was their decision.”
In other words, 95% of men who have experienced abortion had little to no say in the decision, even though it was their child as much as it was their partner’s.
Additionally, the research found that half of the men sought healing after the abortion loss usually did so within the first two years following the abortion. They were looking for help, Googling with words like “help after abortion,” “shame after abortion.” Many of the men searching for help after an abortion also trended younger, between the ages of 25-44 years old.
The surveys found that most of these men were just not finding the relief or closure they needed.
“Based on what we know in this study, at least 13 million men have been impacted by abortion and would be interested in some kind of healing process for their own personal experience,” said Janine. “Use your imagination. The ability to influence 13 million men in healing from their abortion, what kind of change can we make about the demand for abortion in the United States?”
Abortion Healing Program preferences
Most programs offered for abortion healing for women are faith-based. Support After Abortion wanted to see if men were interested in similar programs so they asked if they prefer faith-based or non-faith-based healing solutions.
The majority of men said they didn’t care either way. They are just looking to help when it comes to healing from their abortion.
Additionally, for women who have had an abortion, research shows they are less likely to go to religious services. But for men, our research indicates it’s the opposite: they are more likely to be pro-life than their partners and they go to religious services.
“Both of these findings we found remarkable,” said Janine Maronne.
Men and their emotions after abortion
Men express their emotions differently than women, to no one’s surprise. As interviews with previous guests on the podcast have shown, men may ask for help when they are facing addiction, PTSD, or anger issues. It comes out later than many of them have had an abortion in their past.
“When we see angry men related to abortion, it’s not because they had the abortion, it’s because they couldn’t prevent it,” said Janine. “This is remarkable in terms of what it is saying about our culture and men’s role in the abortion decision, counter to what we’re hearing in the abortion industry.”
Support After Abortion did not expect these findings and sees a huge opportunity to be that catalyst for change and address this market, these men, who are not being heard. For those who work in healing ministries and for those men who don’t know where to turn for help after an abortion experience, Support After Abortion is hosting experts like Janine Marrone at the Unraveling Roots of Men’s Trauma conference and her presentation is available to watch online. We’ll be exploring this issue of culture telling men they don’t need healing from abortion, as well as others that are overlooked when it comes to men healing from abortion trauma. They need to connect to their emotions in order to start healing and connection to feelings isn’t always easy for men.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by abortion, you are not alone. Call or text our confidential hopeline at 844-289-HOPE (4673). Women, this is your call: if your partner, male loved one or friend has had an abortion, visit us at www.supportafterabortion.com to learn how to create a safe space, and create a dialogue so more men can receive hope and healing after abortion.
