{"id":101,"date":"2014-02-01T21:00:50","date_gmt":"2014-02-01T21:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/menandabortion.net\/?p=101"},"modified":"2015-10-01T14:05:33","modified_gmt":"2015-10-01T14:05:33","slug":"dont-forget-about-the-guys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/menandabortion.net\/index.php\/2014\/02\/01\/dont-forget-about-the-guys\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Forget about the Guys"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Bradley<\/a>She stared at the two lines in disbelief: the pregnancy test was positive. Overwhelmed, she couldn\u2019t hold back the tears. This wasn\u2019t what she had planned for her life.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a scenario we hear about time and again. But there\u2019s a side that you may not have considered before. What does a man experience when facing an unexpected pregnancy?<\/p>\n

Society has become conditioned to only seeing the woman\u2019s perspective. It\u2019s her body, her life, her choice. The man is disregarded as if his role is irrelevant. There\u2019s an assumption that men are just supposed to go along with whatever the woman chooses. But the reality is that he\u2019s a father with his own thoughts and feelings\u2014and they may not be what you\u2019d expect..<\/p>\n

Blogger, Chaunie Brusie, recalls when she and her boyfriend faced an unexpected pregnancy. \u201cNo one asked him how he was feeling. No one wondered if he would be ok. No one pondered what he should do.\u201d She admits that even she took him for granted. The couple is now married and Chaunie shares the insight of what her husband (whom she doesn\u2019t name) felt at the time.<\/p>\n

His first response was overwhelming guilt. He felt as if he had ruined her life. It\u2019s interesting to note that there was an immediate sense of responsibility for the situation. God wired us men to provide for and protect our spouse and offspring. Next, he reveals that he felt happiness. He had always wanted a family. Even though the timing wasn\u2019t perfect, there was already a connection to his unborn child. It may seem like an unlikely reaction, but it\u2019s actually more common than you might think. His thoughts then turned to his relationship with Chaunie. He knew that there would be changes. He notes how pregnancy \u201cmoves a couple past the dating days of staring into each other\u2019s eyes and talking endlessly about love.\u201d Instead of talking, the relationship required action. And he realized there would be increased demands to live up to. He already began to expect more out of himself. Overall he said, \u201cPregnancy forced us to be more open about our needs as individuals and a couple.\u201d Thankfully, this young couple is one of the happier stories. Through this experience, they bonded together, are now married and expecting their fourth child.<\/p>\n

Not all men are so fortunate. When sportscaster, John Morales, was in his twenties, his girlfriend became pregnant. It was unexpected and would truly shake up their lives. However, he knew that this was his child and he wanted to help her throughout the pregnancy. Tragically, his girlfriend didn\u2019t feel the same. She decided to get an abortion. John vividly remembers begging and pleading with her not to go through with it. She remained adamant. \u201cFrom that day, there\u2019s been a ripple effect that I\u2019ve had to deal with for the rest of my life,\u201d John shares. He would often think of the child he lost and imagine what could\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n

At the age of 17, Jason Jones found out that his girlfriend was pregnant. Despite his young age, he recalls feeling strangely happy. The couple discussed their options and decided they would do whatever they had to do to provide for their baby. Jason soon joined the Army. The plan was to make it through boot camp and then they would marry and begin their life together. While he was at boot camp, he received a call from his girlfriend, crying hysterically. Her father had discovered she was pregnant and forced her to get an abortion. Shaken and upset, Jason cried out to his drill sergeant, \u201cSend me home! They killed my baby!\u201d The captain intervened and began asking Jason about his child. When he discovered it was an abortion, he asked, \u201cYou do know abortion is legal?\u201d Jason had no idea. The resonating impact of that day has served as a driving force for Jason to dedicate his life to advocating for an end to abortion. (You can hear more about John and Jason\u2019s experiences firsthand by watching this emotional episode of Facing Life Head-On<\/a>.)<\/p>\n