Fathers Learning to Grieve Abortion Decision

“Unless abortion is brought into the open and exposed, it won’t heal. It will continue to be a traumatic situation every day.” — Mark Ring

In 2002, Timothy Hall, an attendee of Cornerstone Church in Nashville, Tenn., asked if he could be a part of the abortion recovery class Sheila Harper led for women. Even though she hadn’t thought about the impact abortion had on men, Harper agreed to allow Hall — whose girlfriend had years earlier aborted their child without his knowledge — to be part of the sessions.

Before the next course, Mike Goins, another man in the Assemblies of God congregation, asked to participate in the meetings, years after his girlfriend aborted their child. Goins, a burly NASCAR race team pit crewman, wept class after class about his failure to protect the unborn baby and leaving the decision to his girlfriend. Goins endured derisive comments from his teammates as he did homework in the flower-covered recovery guide during down times in the pit.

By counseling Hall and Goins, Harper understood that abortion is as much a man’s issue as it is a
woman’s issue. Read more (PDF).

This article appeared in the June 17, 2007, issue of Pentecostal Evangel.

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