Actionable? Panel Discussion on Post-Abortion Mental Health Effects

This looks to be a useful discussion and a good networking opportunity for anybody interested in abortionists' legal liability for the emotional distress of women (and perhaps even men) impacted by abortion. Especially interesting is the reappearance of Dr. David Reardon who "wrote the book" on litigating mental anguish claims against abortion providers, and helped put on training conferences for attorneys in conjunction with Life Dynamics several years ago.

FRC To Host Panel Discussion On Post-Abortion Mental Health Effects

Washington, D.C. - Thursday, October 9, at 10:00 am, Family Research Council will host a panel discussion with leading researchers and clinicians on abortion history and associated mental health effects. Data from numerous studies will be discussed and analyzed to explore associations between abortion and mental health, and substance abuse disorders. Additionally, results from a national poll conducted through the Elliot Institute examining politics and post-abortion awareness will be presented. Join us to learn more about the body of research the American Psychological Association failed to assess in its recent report on abortion and mental health.

Who: Priscilla K. Coleman, Ph.D., Bowling Green State University; Catherine T. Coyle, RN, Ph.D., Alliance for Post-Abortion Research & Training; Tom McClusky, Vice President for Government Affairs, FRC; David Reardon, Ph.D., Elliot Institute; Vincent M. Rue, Ph.D., Institute for Pregnancy Loss; Martha Shuping, M.D., Shuping & Associates.

What: Panel Discussion: Post-Abortion Mental Health Effects, Awareness, and Politics

When: Thursday, October 9, 2008 10:00am-12:00pm

Where: Family Research Council
801 G St, NW
Washington, DC 20001

RSVP: 1-800-225-4008 www.frc.org

*Complimentary lunch will be served*

Fathers Traumatized by Abortion: Approaching Critical Mass?

Even without a reversal of Roe v. Wade, if post-abortive men can establish that physicians have breached a duty and caused psychological injury to them in the course of aborting their children, the abortionists' potential liability at tort will be multiplied by two.

According to a psychologist quoted in this OneNewsNow article, "post-abortive" men often are psychologically traumatized by the abortion of their children, and have significant therapeutic needs. As such men meet and organize themselves, it's likely that they will eventually seek compensation from the abortionists who aborted their children.

Post-abortive men finally speak out
Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper
OneNewsNow

A second national conference on the negative effects of abortion on men has been held, and more may be scheduled.

The conference's purpose explores the revelation that men experience, according to LifeNews.com, profound regret and grief after an involvement in an abortion decision. Vicki Thorn of the National Office of Post-Abortion Reconciliation and Healing believes consideration and psychological care for post-abortive fathers is long overdue.

"It's time we begin speaking about it, and that was my intent in being able to organize these two conferences -- that we begin to speak through the veil of science about the fact that there's more than one partner in this," Thorn explains. "The pregnancy didn't occur in a vacuum, and so there is both a woman and a man that are involved."

Thorn knows that fact from her own practice. "I've had calls from men from the very beginning, when I first started doing post-abortion work, risking to share their experiences and seeing that, within the society, there's no validation for the fact that a male might suffer afterwards," she adds.

Over 70 percent of relationships, according to Thorn, break up after an abortion. She claims the American Psychological Association (APA) mislead the American people in its recent claims that abortion is "psychologically safe" for women. The APA refuses to recognize long-term effects on women, and certainly on men, but Thorn believes it is a legitimate problem that needs to be addressed.

Another psychologist at the conference, Catherine Coyle, believes pro-lifers should be more available to help men who are grieving an abortion and show them that they are not alone.

"It is the compassionate thing for us to do to recognize that some people -- men and women -- have profound grief and suffering after an abortion," Coyle contends. "And if we are to be a compassionate society, we must validate their pain and provide the help they need regardless of where we may stand individually on the issue of abortion."