Happy Father's Day From NL Right To Life Association

PRESS RELEASE

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

FROM THE RIGHT TO LIFE ASSOCIATION

Newfoundland and Labrador

June 15, 2007

Father’s Day is a time that a person thanks the man who has played the most important role in his/her life. It is a happy time of great celebration of dad’s and fatherhood, but for many men it is a time of regret.

Fathers have a legal duty to protect and care for their children as soon as they are born, even if only through child support. But, fathers have no legal right to protect their preborn children from death by abortion. A child may be aborted without consulting his/her father. If he has been consulted, and he opposes it because he wishes to protect and care for his child, he/she may still be aborted. As a result of abortion, a father may go into mourning and his capacity to trust or communicate with his child’s mother may be reduced.

Abortion is often sold as an easy way out. This sales pitch may encourage a father to attempt to convince, sometimes forcefully, the mother of his preborn child to have an abortion. The father may also fail to respect the mother’s right to keep his child alive. If the mother needs no convincing, the father may be delighted to support her in her poor decision. But, abortion is not an easy way out. A father who think it is, can be setting the mother up for a life of physical and mental complications, and himself for a life of regret and feelings of emptiness.

Many people fail to accept the fact that women can suffer after an abortion, and even more people fail to acknowledge that fathers can suffer as well. But, the Right to Life Association does not overlook or forget those fathers and mothers. Within this past year the Association has assisted two local men who are hurting. One man encouraged his girlfriend to have an abortion 20 years ago. Since this time he has had nightmares that his son is missing or dead (ie: run away or car accident), he has no other children, and he believes that the son he is dreaming of is the aborted child. The other man’s child was aborted about 15 years ago despite his protests. Following the death of his child he went into mourning and depression. He has begun to cope, but the memory of his dead preborn child still plagues him. These two men approached the Right to Life Association, but there are more men who have not. Society’s failure to accept the fact that men can cry about abortion may be preventing them from seeking help.

On this Father’s Day the Association encourages all people to take a stand against the injustice of excluding fathers from life and death decisions concerning their preborn children. It also encourages all people to prevent fathers and mothers from suffering by rejecting abortion, especially as an easy way out. As well, it encourages all people to help those who are now suffering. It hopes that people do not forget that fatherhood begins at conception.

To all men who have helped give birth to, homes to, or even thought to the preborn, the Right to Life Association wishes a very Happy Father’s Day.

Patrick Hanlon

President,

Right to Life Association

Newfoundland and Labrador