The Biology of Men and Abortion
There is some recent research from Canada that might shed some insight into why men do have feelings about abortion losses.
Impact of Abortion on Men
When people think about the role of men in abortion, it seems that they usually think about the stereotype of the man who forces the abortion or the male who abandons. However, there are many roles the man may have played in the experience.
Reclaiming Fatherhood: A Multifaceted Examination of Men Dealing with Abortion
Dates: September 8, 9,2008
Location: Chicago Marriott Oak Brook
1401 W 22nd St
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Hotel rooms: $115 plus tax for single, double, triple or quad
Please click here for Hotel Details
Online registration code: recreca
Scholarships are available. Contact menandabortion@yahoo.com for more information or call 1-800-5WE-CARE.
How to Register
Fees
$175 (individual) $250 (couples)
Includes continental breakfast both days, reception and dinner on Monday.
Lunch available on premises for about $15.
Register By Mail
Download the brochure (at the left) and include the registration form and your check. If it is for more than one person, please indicate all names on the check. Make check payable to: NOPARH.
Please mail registration form and check to:
NOPARH P.O. Box 070477 Milwaukee, WI 53207-0477
To register using a credit card:
Click on one of the PayPal links below and follow the directions. Please note that there are different payment buttons for single rates or couples rates.
Only those paying by credit card can register on line.
Singles Please Click Here |
Couples Please Click Here |
Sponsored by: The Knights of Columbus and the Archdiocese of Chicago
Organizer: National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation & Healing
Confirmed Speakers
- Catherine Coyle, Ph.D. Author of “Men and Abortion: A Path to Healing”
- Tom Golden, LSW Author of “Swallowed by a Snake”
- Gregory Hasek MA,MFT LPC Misty Mountain Counseling Center
- Rev. Martin Pable, Ph.D. Author of “Quest for the Male Soul”
- Vince Rue, Ph.D. Institute of Pregnancy Loss
- Vicki Thorn National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation & Healing
- Lionel Tiger, Ph.D. Anthropologist, author of “The Decline of Males”
- Warren Williams MBA Founder, “Fathers and Brother Ministries”
Topics Include
- Fatherhood Lost: The Biology of Fatherhood and His Role in an Abortion Decision
- Men and Abortion: A Review of the Research
- Trauma and Abortion: When Men Hollow
- Fatherhood without Paternity? Implications of Reproductive Technology
- Understanding Male Spiritual Growth and the Process of Healing
- Wounded Fathers: Why Do They Come for Help
- Medicating the Pain of Lost Fatherhood: Looking For Their Pain In All The Wrong Places
- Forgiveness Therapy with Post-Abortion Men
- The Masculine Side of Healing
A Monday evening panel will present some of the models currently available for helping men resolve abortion loss.
The Conference will begin at 9am on Monday and conclude at 5 pm on Tuesday. Continental breakfast is included both days. Monday evening will include a reception and dinner which is included in the cost of the conference. There will be a panel presentation at the conclusion on dinner. Lunch will be on your own both days. The hotel restaurant will provide a luncheon buffet for conference participants for approximately $15.
Airport information:
O’Hare is the airport of choice, being only 14 miles from the hotel. Midway Airport also serves Chicago, but it is a great distance from the hotel.
Airport Transfer:
We are currently making arrangements to run a courtesy bus from O’Hare to the hotel twice on Sunday afternoon/early evening and one return bus at the conference close on Tuesday. More details will be provided with your registration confirmation.
Estimated individual taxi fare from O’Hare is $27.00. Estimated individual taxi fare from Midway is $33.00
Driving:
The hotel has a fact sheet that includes an interactive map. Parking is free.
Why a conference on men dealing with abortion?
This conference is the second ever to deal with the issue of men dealing with abortion. The first conference was held in San Francisco in November, 2007. That conference gathered 170 people from 9 countries and received very positive media attention.
The impact of an abortion experience on men is unrecognized by many. Men are hidden partners in every abortion decision. More than 40 million abortions have occurred in the U.S. alone since abortion was legalized here. Worldwide the estimates are that more than 43 million abortions occur in a year. In every abortion decision there is a male involved in some way. The man’s role or lack of role in the decision can create a stream of consequences that may accompany the man through the rest of his life. Because men are told they have no say in the abortion decision--that it is about a woman and her choice--they later struggle with the questions they pose to themselves and the emotions they feel. Men often say "I don't feel entitled to my grief. It was her choice. Why do I feel so badly?" More men are recognizing that abortion was a life changing event for them. The difficulty for the man who wants to process the experience, is that there are few resources available to him. Mental health professionals have not recognized that an abortion loss may be a significant event in the life of a man. Addiction counselors, grief facilitators and clergy may not recognize the unresolved grief of an abortion experience that may have occurred many years ago. We are not sensitized to the ways that a hidden loss may play itself out in the lives of those who experience it.
This conference is designed to bring to the forefront what is known about how pregnancy may impact the male partner, the various roles a male can play in an abortion decision, and the implications of reproductive technology as it pertains to fatherhood. The research findings on men and abortion will be presented. It will look at what happens when a male experiences trauma as well as provide information on how men process grief or try to hide from their grief. Men’s spiritual growth as it pertains to the process of healing will be examined and a model of forgiveness therapy will be discussed. Some current models for outreach to men will be presented.