ABORTION PAINFUL FOR MEN

Over 100,000 Canadian women made the difficult and painful decision to have an abortion in 1994. Not far in the background were their partners also suffering the hurt. Many feminists, both male and female, see abortion solely as a woman’s issue. It’s her body, therefore, it’s her choice. Unfortunately, this cut-and-dry approach fails to take into consideration that all people have emotions, both sexes. This simple answer to a complex issue does nothing to resolve the confusing feelings women and men experience when faced with the dilemma of an unplanned pregnancy.

Bob and Mike, not their real names, found out the hard way that no matter what side of the abortion debate you stand on, it doesn’t feel good when your mate has one. Mike was 22 when his girlfriend of eight months became pregnant. The relationship wasn’t going great, and her decision to have the abortion was the clincher in ending it, said Mike. Julie, not her real name, had already made up her mind to have an abortion when she told Mike she was pregnant. Mike had absolutely no say in the matter. “I don’t know why she bothered to tell me (that she was pregnant). She didn’t want my input. Since she didn’t want to hear how I felt, I would rather have not known,” said Mike.

Mike calls himself pro-choice, but maintains that adoption would have been his chosen option if he could have helped in the decision.“The correct route to go would have been to give life to the child. Adoption or even marriage and keeping the baby would have been my choice instead of abortion.” Even after his experience, Mike still partly adheres to the “it’s her body, her choice” philosophy. He said it should ultimately be up to the woman because she has to carry the baby for nine months, but it should still be open for discussion between the two partners.“If both parties are involved in conceiving a baby, both parties should be involved in discussing its fate.

“I wish ours would have been a rational decision between us, but it wasn’t and I can’t do anything to change it,” said Mike. Today Mike says he has no emotional problems in dealing with the abortion.“I don’t have that much guilt about it because it wasn’t my decision,” he said. Mike does admit to entertaining the occasional thought about his child that could have been.“I pass them off and go on to something else. The abortion is in the past, and the past is better left alone.”

Not everyone would agree.

Fewer men than women seek counselling at any time. When it comes to terminating a pregnancy, even fewer visit a counsellor. A local therapist who deals mainly with men has developed a hypothesis as to why men don’t seek help for these emotions.“Men don’t believe they should be upset about it (abortion). There’s the feeling that it’s a women’s issue,” said Ed Risling, a therapist at Prairie Therapists and Trainers. Generally, when a man receives abortion counselling, it is because his partner encouraged him to join her. And occasionally repressed anger because of an abortion comes out during counselling for other issues. “I’ve dealt with men whose spouses have had abortions. They expressed anger with their lack of involvement in the decision,” said Saskatchewan Mental Health therapist, Curtis Mills.

The social work department at City Hospital provides abortion counselling for those who feel they need it, mostly by doctor referral.“We do meet with men, but generally we see more women. When men do come, it is normally with their partners,” said social worker Cheryl McKay.“But it’s not so much because they are being dragged along. The men who come (for counselling) are concerned and are hurting,” said McKay.

Bob’s story is quite different from Mike’s. Almost three years after his former girlfriend’s 2 abortion, he still has problems coping with his feelings. But unlike Mike, he placed a great deal of guilt and blame upon himself. Bob was 25 when his much younger girlfriend became pregnant. They had been together for several years and his girlfriend, Karla, not her real name, had no intention of having an abortion. But Bob was certain he did not want to become a father.

“I was afraid at the time. I didn’t feel secure about my future, and was sure both our lives would be ruined,” said Bob. Bob shut Karla out and pushed her to have an abortion. “It was mostly my decision because she had no one else to turn to, to talk about it. Karla made her decision based upon what I was thinking.“I wish she would have stuck to her guns and fought the pressure I put on her a little more,” he said.

From the moment the abortion was performed, Bob said he knew it was a poor and hasty decision.“The last year we were together after the abortion, I denied the pain I had. But in the back of my head, I knew it was the wrong decision,” said Bob. Bob’s feelings manifested themselves in a few ways. For quite awhile after the abortion, he could not stand to be around children.“I had real negative feeling towards all kids. I had to stay as far away from them as possible, even my young relatives,” he said. Bob says he became hostile because he kept everything inside and never expressed how he really felt.

“Karla and I didn’t communicate at all about the abortion. I wanted her to feel good about the decision and not think about it. But I guess she felt like I was shutting her out again. We should have worked it out together. Instead, we broke up.” After their break-up, Bob decided he needed help and sought counselling.“Counselling has made me able to forgive myself and to forgive Karla, but I’ll never forget.“I was surprised to find out how many other men have had similar feelings. Counselling gave me a strong sense that I wasn’t suffering alone,” said Bob.

Said therapist Mills, “Men are still socialized to minimize the impact of their experiences. They deny that there has even been an impact.“When feelings aren’t dealt with, people become totally inept in dealing with relationships. They have no sense of how to be intimate.” Bob remains strongly pro-choice, but he also agrees it should be a well-thought out decision between the partners. “Couples should talk to each other and make certain they are both of very sound mind when the decision is made. They definitely shouldn’t do it in haste,” he said. He said people should recognize every situation is different. Bob said he realizes not all men will be affected like he was.

“Some guys are like me, but there’s lots of guys out there who don’t care what happens if they get someone pregnant. It depends on the kind of relationship. The more you care about the woman, the more you will care about the unborn child,” he said. One Saskatoon therapist says no matter how involved a couple is and no matter how prochoice they may be, an abortion will have an affect on them. It is human instinct to want to reproduce, said Tom Leibel.“I think human beings have the innate desire to have a family. We want family,” said Leibel. Often people, especially men, will deny to themselves that the abortion has affected them in some way. Many men try to cover up these emotions but putting up a macho front, said Leibel.

“Our North American culture has taught men to be unemotional. We’re told not to feel , just be in control,” he said. Leibel has seen one young man who came in for abortion counselling. A 16-year-old boy was severely distressed after his 14-year-old girlfriend had an abortion without his approval. The two had been living together for about nine months with the consent of her family when 3 she became pregnant. Leibel had been working with them as a couple “to make the best out of a situation that wasn’t great.” When her parents found out about the pregnancy, they forced the break-up of the couple and brought her back home. The boy was then cut off from any contact with her.

“He was totally devastated. The sense of family had built for himself was suddenly pulled away. “The boy had no control over his child. Even though he had no say in the matter, he felt like an accomplice to murder. He thought he didn’t have anything to live for and became suicidal,” said Leibel. The couple stopped counselling together, but the boy came back to Leibel for help.“He came for grievance counselling over a six month period. He had to grieve the death of his child, the death of his relationship and the death of family as he knew it. “He really needed to feel a sense of value without family,” said Leibel.

Leibel says we still live in a very maledominated society. This has created the battle of the sexes with men pulling one way and women pulling back, with strong repercussions in the abortion debate.“We need to come together and find an equilibrium. We definitely have to get away from looking at the gender. We need to start looking at the person,” he said. By Danielle Chartier HELP FOR FORGOTTEN FATHERS IS JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY If you are suffering emotional after-affects from an abortion, both women and men, there is local help available. Sometimes, it helps just to talk about it.

Fountain of Hope Counselling, started by women who have been through an abortion themselves, offers an open ear and positive steps in dealing with the pain. In the three years the help-line has been around, very few men have contacted them, says the co-founder of Canadian Survivors of Abortion, Elaine Webster. One of the men wanted his girlfriend to have the baby. He even told her he would raise the child with his mother, but she had the abortion anyway, explained Webster.“There was no place for him to turn. He tried calling other places for help. All that he could find was a pamphlet that said men cried alone. But he already knew that,” said Webster. Another man who called had been opposed to his wife’s abortion. They already had one child, and the marriage wasn’t going well. She wanted to have another baby, and was successful in getting pregnant. Then she changed her mind. Said Webster, “He started to look for legal recourse, but was told there was no pint in trying.”

Fountain of Hope uses a nine step program in helping people deal with their pain. Two of the steps include dealing with denial and going through the grieving process. “Many people don’t want to admit the abortion is why they’re feeling bad,” she said. There should e more information made available to people who are thinking about having an abortion. “In my case, I was told out-and-out lies. It was presented to me as an easy solution. The doctor even told me the baby was just like a sprouted wheat seed,” said Webster who was 19 at the time and wanted to believe this. “I wish someone would have said to me,“this is what the baby is.” But I don’t let this excuse what was my choice,” she explained.

Fountain of Hope can be reached 24 hours a day at 242-0112. If you’re concerned about maintaining anonymity, that’s not a problem, said Webster.

Alliance for Life’s national toll-free number is 1-800-665-0570. They can refer you to counselling services in your area.