Hello, my name is Barry Webster from Saskatchewan, Canada.
In 1973, my girlfriend, Elaine, age 19, whom I was living with, not surprisingly got pregnant. At the age of 21 I as intimidated by the thought of being a father.
My own father had been a good example of the role of father. With his full support and provision my mother had four children. My teen years had been lost in the party and selfish lifestyle, and I didn’t think I was ready for the father role. I had my list of reasons why abortion would be acceptable at the time. That same list could have been used exactly one year later, after the abortion, when Elaine was pregnant again with our second child and chose to give birth to him!
The real and only reason we aborted our first child was because I gave no support to Elaine when she needed it most. I abdicated my responsibly! I said, “Elaine, whatever you want to do is okay with me.” What a gutless response! With only a small amount of support from me, Elaine would have been confident enough to bring our first baby into the world.
Some people say this is a woman’s issue. I say when men abdicate their role of supporting, respecting, and caring for women, there will be issues!
I’ve come to realize the importance of a father’s support in a crisis pregnancy, in any pregnancy! It can be the difference between life and death! That’s why I am silent no more!