On Sunday, June 16th, we celebrate Father’s Day. Many churches will offer a message in support and praise of fathers and maybe end their service with a small gift for the fathers. Perhaps there will be a men’s bar-b-que the Saturday before or some other type of event.
As church leadership teams strategize on the best ways to celebrate fathers, it is helpful to keep in mind the pain and regret that this day can also bring to those who have unexpectedly lost a child, are estranged from a child, or have lost a child through an abortion decision. For them, Father’s Day can be difficult. This post will focus on helping men who are struggling with a past abortion decision.
Support After Abortion organization wrote an informative article which can be read in full HERE. In it, we read:
“Mayo urges families, friends, church leaders, and communities to “be conscious that by age 45, one in five men will experience abortion¹; you may know a man who has an abortion loss – whether you are aware of it or not.”
Mayo continued, ‘Here’s the thing, men are left out of the abortion conversation on all ends – so on Father’s Day, being given the space to grieve and someone to listen may be all that guy needs to make the day a little bit better.’
Support After Abortion CEO Lisa Rowe, a licensed mental health therapist and social worker, said ‘Releasing emotions in a healthy way can bring a measure of peace and allow men who have experienced abortion loss to participate in the rest of Father’s Day, especially if they have living children.’ Rowe suggested, that men ‘take the first hour of the day to themselves to experience the grief, so they can enter into the joy of the moment.’”
As we plan for celebrations on this Father’s Day, let’s open the door for men to find healing from a past abortion decision. Perhaps your men’s ministry can offer a post-abortion healing group. There are several resources to help you start this type of healing group and you can find them HERE.
Celebrating fatherhood is a beautiful thing. Let this Father’s Day be one of honoring all the fathers around us and bringing healing to those who are tragically carrying a loss.
