Father Pavone: 'Abortion for Men'

By Fr. Frank Pavone
6/23/2009
Priests for Life (www.priestsforlife.org/)

The fact that men do not get pregnant does not stop them from choosing abortion.

'Morally speaking, the sin of abortion is committed when it is chosen, knowingly and willingly. Many factors mitigate the guilt, but the point here is that the choosing of abortion does not require that one be pregnant. Men choose abortion; men perform abortions. Men are therefore often guilty of the sin of abortion.'

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STATEN ISLAND, NY (Priests for Life) - One of the slogans used by extremists in the pro-abortion movement is, "If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament." The slogan, besides being simply ignorant, is an insult to the Church and to the integrity of pro-life people. Less crude expressions of the same sentiment take shape in arguments like, "The prohibition of abortion discriminates against women," and "Pro-life people are intent on depriving women of their rights." In fact, pro-abortion forces took this argument all the way to the Supreme Court, but lost in their attempt to claim that women as a class were discriminated against by pro-life efforts.

The fact is that we oppose abortion both for women and for men. The fact that men do not get pregnant does not stop them from choosing abortion. Indeed, anyone who has worked directly to stop abortions has seen many instances in which the "choice" in question was being made by the man, not by the woman. In the thousands of case testimonies I have in my office, time after time I read these or similar words: "My boyfriend wanted me to have the abortion; I was unsure," or "The baby's father said that unless I aborted the child, he would leave."

Of course. Abortion is not about women's rights. It is often about men wanting the right to be able to continue to have sexual relations without the "intrusive burden" of the child that can come about.

Morally speaking, the sin of abortion is committed when it is chosen, knowingly and willingly. Many factors mitigate the guilt, but the point here is that the choosing of abortion does not require that one be pregnant. Men choose abortion; men perform abortions. Men are therefore often guilty of the sin of abortion.

Being pro-life is in no way to single out women for blame. Being pro-life is about helping men and women alike to have the courage to do what is right, namely, to conceive children only within the bounds of valid marriage, and to protect all children who have been conceived under any circumstances.

Ministry to men is increasingly important, and Christians are responding more and more. We see movements like Promise Keepers, St. Joseph's Covenant Keepers, and the Catholic Men's Fellowship striving to meet the pastoral needs of men in our day. We also see the post-abortion movement increasingly extending its resources of counseling and healing to the men who have become entrapped in the lie that abortion is a solution to their problems.

It was the promoters of abortion who from the beginning framed abortion as simply a "woman's issue." No, abortion involves everyone. Once, at a Life Chain, I was asked by a passerby what right I had, as a man, to say anything about abortion. "I'm a human being," I replied, "and when my fellow human beings are being killed, I have a right to stand up and say no." "No," that is, whether it is addressed to a woman or to a man.

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1 - 9 of 9 Comments

Joanne
3 years ago
If you want to know the percentages, numbers, and trends for all of Planned Parenthood's services,income, etc., look at their annual reports. You can find it on line or request it by mail. A local center's information may be folded into regional and national numbers, so you may not specific figures for the PP in your town.
T. Arden
3 years ago
To ds -
What is the percentage breakdown of these "other services" that men and women have availed themselves of at PP?
Joanne
3 years ago
The Planned Parenthood where I carry out a pro-life witness only does abortions one day a week and nothing else on that day. On that day, it is a fair assumption that most of their clients walk in pregnant and leave non-pregnant. The only way they would leave still pregnant is if they changed their mind about the abortion. People who stop by there for other services that day are turned away. Why they would trust a baby killing organization with their health care baffles me.
ds
3 years ago
Nola-

The vast majority of abortions occur early in pregnancy so that you would not be able to discern whether someone entered pregnant and left "non-pregnant".

In addition to abortion/birth control services, planned parenthood offers the following services:

General Health Care
HIV Testing Services
Vaccine Services
Men�s Health Services
Patient Education
Pregnancy Testing & Pregnancy Services
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Testing & Treatment
Women's Health Services

I am not defending what they do, these things are simply facts and your statement was ignorant of such.
Grant
3 years ago
Pregnant women do not need Planned Parenthood in order to get help with their child's wellbeing. PP knows NOTHING about being a PARENT. Their entire agenda is to stop the life in the womb. They should be renamed "PREVENTIVE PARENTHOOD". As for the shout of murderer, I agree that the mother should not be titled... the doctors and nurses who sol out on the hippocratic oath, (which in itself, makes no mention or acknowledgement of GOD). Abortion is murder in the worst sense, but to pin the blame on a woman is not going to change hearts. If you want to kill a snake, cut off the head......Planned Parenthood/NARAL, etc...
Andy Holland
3 years ago
Maybe we can try to reform the debate?

Our Lord and Savior Jesus took Virgil's pagan "love conquers all" and by his life and example turned it into 'True love conquers all.'

True love is holistic, encompassing mother, father, child and in abortion true love is lost.

The dispassionate passion of Christianity elevates all things, and we need to elevate the mother and child in the abortion debate, pointing out that it is truly murder, and their are many victims - the Fetus, the mother, the father, the doctor, the society at large - all loose in abortion- and God weeps.
Jean
3 years ago
I dont know who the person was that shouted murder but from what I have studied of Priests for Life this isnt so.
It is wrong to kill one's child.
Especially a viable child in the womb.
Its not necessary anymore when you have Crisis pregnancy outnumbering planned parenthood.
Also last time I knew sidewalk counselors are trained better than shouting murder at someone.
Must be another group.
We have better resources today.
Besides if anyone is interested I would read about Norma McKorvey who was Jane Roe of Roe V. Wade.
She has come a long way.
Last time I knew Norma supports Father Frank and everyone with him who fight for the unborn peacefully and respectfully.
I support Priests for Life and I love Alveda King (Martin Luther's niece) who supports the pro-life movement.
The unborn deserve better than abortion and so do the parents.
Love in Christ brothers and sisters.
Nola
3 years ago
I think when people see pregnant women enter a Planned Parenthood clinic and see her leave non-pregnant -- there's not a a great leap to discern what happens in that clinic. Furthermore, I don't know ANYONE who goes to Planned Parenthood for prenatal care - such an assertion would be laughable if it were not so sad.
Nancy
3 years ago
Then why do prolife persons shout "murderer" when a pregnant woman enters Planned Parenthood - they don't even know why this women is going to PP. Perhaps its for prenatal care...

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