Don't Forget Fathers on Father’s Day

By Jonathan Rogers

Back in April, Newsweek magazine interviewed NARAL President Nancy Keenan. A follow-up article highlighted the comments of a number of prominent pro-abortion activists, leaders, and bloggers (http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/29/the-future-of-the-abortion-rights-movement.html)

One of the bloggers, Amanda Marcotte, expressed worry that “When the anti-choice side pulls energy from both men and women who are eager to halt sexual liberation and control female bodies, and pro-choicers can only look to women, we’re already running at half capacity.”

Oops. Slurs aside, who'd have thought that decades of "It's a woman's choice, it's her body!" might create an enthusiasm gap?

So on that note, two important reminders. One, this Sunday is Father's Day. Two, fathers (and those of us who might hope to one day be honored with the title) have a hugely important role to play in the pro-life movement.

Just as Mother's Day always receives more attention than Father's Day, men tend to take a back seat in the abortion discussion. Men aren't victims of abortion in exactly the same sense as women are--although when you attend the NRLC Convention next week in Pittsburgh be sure to attend Greg Hasek's workshop on how Post-Abortion Syndrome can torment men as it does women.

If you have a few minutes, read Phil McCombs’ essay “Remembering Thomas,” that ran years ago in the Washington Post. Be ready for a powerfully moving experience. (www.priestsforlife.org/postabortion/rememberingthomas.htm)

But no pro-lifer would ever fall into the pro-abortion trap of thinking that abortion is just a "woman's issue." Protecting the rights of unborn children is the consummate human rights issue. And men can and do speak up for human rights. After all, the abortionists are in the business of taking the "Fathers" out of Father's Day.

Pro-lifers don't think that men should be deeply involved in the abortion debate because we're chauvinists. Anyone who thinks that women don’t comprise the majority of t he leadership in the pro-life movement hasn't spent much time around grassroots pro-lifers.

Rather pro-lifers encourage men to be involved in the abortion debate because we don't think women should be callously abandoned and told to go have their "problem taken care of" for a few hundred dollars while men shirk their responsibilities.

The entire point of Father's Day is to recognize our dads for the years of responsibility and sacrifice they put in for us.

Honoring the good examples and deeds of our father's reinforces the positive roles that men need to play in society.

And we ought to remember our Father's this Sunday, because the odds are that, if we don't, neither will they. They probably won't complain or feel slighted for it is for these exact qualities of selfless service and placing the good of the family before their own that we honor our dads.

And that's why we should say, "Thanks Dad."