When Chuck Raymond stood outside the U.S. Supreme Court during this year’s March for Life, he held a sign that read “I Regret Lost Fatherhood.”
In his testimony for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign that day, the St. Louis resident said: “The pain of my lost fatherhood remains with me every day but now through God's grace and mercy and His unconditional love, I live with joy and peace."
Tens of millions of men suffer from that same regret and have not yet found the joy and peace that Mr. Raymond spoke of. These men, regardless of the role they played in an abortion, are the focus of Silent No More’s Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion initiative in June.
Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion is a year-long international effort to reach all the different groups of people who are impacted when a child dies from abortion. Those groups include grandparents, siblings, survivors, spouses, abortionists and their staff, and pro-life advocates.
“Shockwaves seeks to give a voice to all those who have been hurt, all those who regret the abortion they took part in, and all those who mourn the loss of each innocent child,” said Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life and Pastoral Director of Silent No More.
He noted that June’s focus on dads is an acknowledgement that Father’s Day is often a painful day for men who have lost children to abortion.
At SilentNoMore.com, visitors to the Shockwaves page will find testimonies, prayers and information on healing resources. Clergy looking for ideas on how to preach on abortion loss for men will find suggested sermons.
Kevin Burke, LSW, co-founder of Rachel’s Vineyard and an expert on men and abortion loss, said that men are often seen to be peripheral figures in the abortion process, detached and unaffected by the woman's choice.
“But the reality is that men are involved in 95 percent of all abortion decisions,” he said, “and they are profoundly impacted by their participation in the abortion of their child. Similar to women, when men experience deep healing of abortion pain, they are freed from the shame and guilt that feeds silence and isolation.”
Janet Morana and Georgette Forney, co-founders of Silent No More, noted that men can play many roles in an abortion decision. Some men coerce women into abortion; others had no knowledge until it was too late. Some are complicit in the decision and some are just silent.
“We know through our work with Silent No More that no matter what role a man played, he is often thrown off guard by his reaction to the abortion,” Mrs. Morana said. “Many feel they have failed as men by allowing, or insisting on, the destruction of their own child.”
“Men are often pushed to the margins of the abortion debate, but after the baby and the mother, fathers are the most directly impacted,” Mrs. Forney said. “We want them to know they are deserving of healing and we want to help them restore peace to their souls.”
Healing the Shockwaves of Abortion was launched in January at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., where the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, led a prayer and gave a blessing in the name of Pope Francis as his personal representative in the U.S.
To arrange an interview with anyone on the Shockwaves team or a father who has found healing, call Leslie Palma at 347-286-7277 or email her at leslie@priestsforlife.org
The Campaign began November 11th, 2002. As of February 2015, the Silent No More Awareness Campaign has held 1,436 Gatherings in 17 countries & 48 states with 5,934 women and men sharing their abortion testimonies. Testimonies have also been shared at 104 high schools and universities in the last 4 years, 26 in 2014. There are 2,233 testimonies posted on the Campaign website, with 332 that are shared via video! Currently there are 16,225 people registered with the Campaign representing 77 countries. People who are not ready to join the Campaign, are invited to register their regret. So far, 4,890 women and 573men have said they regret their abortion or lost fatherhood. Another552 women and men have posted memorials to their children.
The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is a joint project of Anglicans for Life and Priests for Life. For more information, please visit our website:
www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org