(Pro-Life Action Ministries) A Danish study recently published in JAMA Network Open reveals that first-time fathers who lost a child to abortion experience increased psychological distress, leading to a higher likelihood of seeking mental health care. Using data from the Danish National Patient Register, researchers analyzed 192,455 first-time fathers who experienced various adverse pregnancy outcomes, isolating 8,221 fathers affected by abortion. Here are the key findings of the study:
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Fathers of babies aborted at 12 weeks or earlier were 1.3 times more likely to receive non-pharmaceutical psychiatric treatment, 80% more likely to have contact with a psychiatric hospital, and significantly more likely to use antidepressants (90%), anti-anxiety medication (40%), and sleep aids (74%) within a year.
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Fathers of babies aborted at 13 weeks or later were four times more likely to receive non-pharmaceutical psychiatric treatment and 60% more likely to have contact with a psychiatric hospital. Their risk of seeking treatment increased more than fourfold in the first year.
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Men are not immune to the effects of their partner’s abortion. Fathers everywhere are suffering in silence, trapped in a culture that discourages them from expressing grief—especially when it comes to abortion. The emotional toll on men is profound, yet rarely acknowledged. In a conversation on the Christian podcast Men in the Arena, host Jim Ramos sat down with Gregory Mayo, author of Almost Daddy, to shed light on this hidden struggle. In the episode Almost Daddy: Abortion’s Hidden Impact on Men,Gregory shared his own heartbreaking experience: his partner chose to have an abortion against his wishes, despite his willingness to raise the child alone.
Another example is Jason, a man whose partner, Andrea, chose to have an abortion despite his deep desire to keep the child. Jason experienced overwhelming grief, leading to depression, substance abuse, panic attacks, and even a suicide attempt. His emotional devastation mirrored the trauma seen in many men affected by abortion. Finally, Rev. Brian Walker, Program Director, Pro-Life Action Ministries, and Tom Kuehn, author of God Our Father: The Journey of My Soul, sit down together to share their abortion experiences from the man’s perspective.
Tweet This: Men are not immune to the effects of their partner’s abortion.
These stories are just few of many, revealing the deep and often unspoken pain men endure as a result of the choice to abort a child. For each of these men, their partner’s abortion changed the lens through which they saw the world, and it was broken. Often, post-abortive men do not know where to turn in these dark moments. Honestly, their options have been rather limited! Abortion has primarily been seen as a women’s issue. Men have been sidelined in the abortion conversation and told that frankly, they don’t have a choice because they don’t have a uterus.
However, as abortion has become much more talked about in recent years, ministries across the country are seeing this problem and offering counseling services and other helpful resources for men whose partners have aborted their child. Here are a few national organizations which are offering these resources:
Focus on the Family Recovery Helpline and Counseling
Rachel’s Vineyard healing retreats for men
The message to men who have been negatively impacted by their partner’s abortion is this: Your pain is real, but there is hope for you. Abortion is sin, and therefore it has devastating consequences for all involved, whether you opposed or supported the abortion. Yet, this does not have to be the end of your story. The Lord desires to re-write the story of your life, regardless of the carnage of your life choices or the choices of those around you.. Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." In His loving kindness, He didn’t wait for you to get your life together before He was willing to save you. He invites us to repent of our sins and follow Him with our life. The Lord is a good Father. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” You are not alone in your sorrow. Jesus Himself was described as “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He knows what it feels like to suffer loss and disappointment, and He walks with you in this pain.
Editor's note: This article was published by Pro-Life Action Ministries and is reprinted with permission. Additional abortion recovery resources are available HERE.
