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What do Prisoners and Veterans Have in Common

by Christian Voices for Life on Feb 21, 2018

What do Prisoners

and Veterans Have

in Common

The effects of abortion on both men and women can contribute to criminal behavior.

Education: Deacon Don did an informal confidential poll of the 100 prisoners he ministered to in two prisons in Florida. He was shocked to discover that 90 of them had been involved in at least one abortion decision, and they agreed that the abortions had definitely impacted them. (1) While many health professionals may dismiss abortion as a source of trauma for men, there are many, many examples of men who have been devastated by an abortion. In some cases it was

their partner’s unilateral decision to abort, leaving them feeling helpless, depressed and angry. In other cases they failed to stand up to protect their child, striking at their identity as a father who protects his family. (2) Of course our culture’s image of a successful man does not include depression or weakness, so many men are very successful at deeply repressing these feelings. But the pain still exists, and can lead to drug abuse, anger issues, and risky behaviors.(2) It is not hard to see how these effects might contribute to eventually committing a crime and landing in prison. Of course female prisoners are also likely to be post-abortive. One female post-abortive prisoner reported that a large majority of the women she encountered in prison were also post-abortive. (3) Post-abortive women are 5 times more likely to engage in alcohol and drug abuse, and are likely to eventually live in poverty as a single mother.(4)

Military personnel are also affected by abortion. Military life has many stressors and challenges, with frequent moves and lengthy deployments. Female military personnel may feel pressure to continue their service, and military wives may well feel unable to handle another child. Military clinics report that many female military and dependents come to the clinic to verify a pregnancy but never come back for prenatal care. An abortion, however, adds more stress and conflict to their lives. Young soldiers eventually become veterans, and suicide rates among young veterans are rising at a disturbing rate. Unresolved abortion grief may be a factor in many of these suicides.(5)

1. Kevin Burke, Tears of the Fisherman, 2017. Chapter 4 “Proclaiming Liberty to the Captives”.

2. Burke, Chapters 2 and 3. “The Silence of Adam” and “Can Men Experience Abortion as a Trauma?”

3. http://afterabortion.org/1999/beyond-the-bars-post-abortion-ministries-reach-out-to-women-in-prison/

4. http://www.theunchoice.com/pdf/OnePageFactSheets/PsychologicalRisksSheet1.pdf

5. Burke, Chapter 6, “Water and Bridges, Relationships after Abortion”.

Prayer: Please, Lord, help all men and women who were involved with an abortion in their past find the healing they need to avoid destructive behaviors that can harm other people as well as themselves. Help them to know your loving forgiveness and peace. Help awareness to grow of the devastating affect that abortion can have on both women and men, so that healing ministries will be accepted in prisons and on military bases. Please bless the healing ministries that offer help to all those who are suffering in this way, and allow them to grow and spread to everywhere they are needed.

Action: Talk to the members of your church who are involved in prison ministry. Tell them about the effect abortion can have on men as well as women, and how healing from abortion can help men release the anger and other effects of the abortion that contributed to their criminal behavior. Recommend to them the book Tears of the Fisherman, by Kevin Burke. A ten-week version of the Rachel’s Vineyard healing program has been developed specifically for use in prisons, and shown outstanding results in aiding rehabilitation of prisoners.(1) The contact for Rachel’s Vineyard in Houston is Cindy at cindy@rvhouston.org, or 713-825-0649.

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