When a woman has an abortion, most people don’t think about how emotionally damaging it can be for the man.
During a speech Wednesday night, Greg Hasek, a marriage and family therapist and professor at George Fox University, said the root of the abortion debate is about trauma — for both men and women.
“Much of the work in the field of trauma has been focused on female survivors of trauma, except in combat stress disorders,” he said.
Leaders of Carolina Students For Life, which sponsored Hasek’s lecture, said they hoped to bring a new type of discussion to campus.
“Not to diminish in any way how abortion does affect women, but to provide another angle,” said Sarah Urdzik, the incoming president of the group. “You never hear about men who might be affected.”
Rather than focusing on the controversial issue of whether abortion is right or wrong, the lecture focused on the different perspectives that come from the situation.
“We really want to reach out to the larger UNC community, particularly people who disagree with us to have an open, honest dialogue,” said David Ortiz, director of public relations for the group.
Hasek said in American culture it is socially acceptable for men to show symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because of war, but not because of an abortion.
“There’s an invalidation of emotional pain after trauma,” Hasek said.
