Men Hurt Too!
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Jonathan Flora
Silent No More Awareness Campaign
January
January 23, 2006
Watch a streaming video of Jonathan's testimony.
Thank you. It is an honor and a privilege to be here. This
is my first March For Life and I pray for all of us, it is
our last.
I have heard many testimonies from women referring to the
guy in their life that played a role in their abortion.
I am here today because I was the guy. Years ago after a
tour in the Army and in my first year of college, I got a
girl pregnant. One of us was in love and it wasn't me. I
bought into the lies that by writing an inexpensive check,
my "problem" could easily go away.
I used all the common excuses to not live up to my
responsibility; still in college, too young, no money, and
of course, I knew we had no future together. Besides, it's
only a "blob of tissue." That was the biggest lie, and the
closer on how I was able to distance myself from the actual
act that was going to be done.
By being the guy it gave me the added advantage to distance
myself even farther. You see, I was not the one that would
have to go through the process. I simply had to drive her to
the clinic and pick her up afterward.
We never talked about it after and neither did I for years.
Never a word.
It wasn't until over twenty years later when I came back to
my faith and got married that I truly realized what I had
done. When the doctors told my wife and I that we could not
have our own children, the emotions and guilt came pouring
in. Was I being punished for not protecting my first child?
As a man we are called to be the protectors, especially of
the young and helpless. But I ran from that responsibility.
I murdered that child, my child. No semantics, no excuses,
no lies can defend it or describe it as anything other than
that.
I regret my lost fatherhood.
But I was not being punished and I have been forgiven. I
have forgiven myself, my wife so willingly has forgiven me,
God has forgiven me.
And the doctors were wrong. We have been blessed with two
beautiful children and I have a third that I know I will see
again.
I will always be that guy. But I am also a man that no
longer believes the lies and I will be silent no more.
Thank you and God bless.
Jonathan Flora is an award-winning
producer for the worldwide DVD releases of Disney and
Miramax movies, most recently “The Aviator” and “Finding
Neverland.” He also directs commercials and music videos.
He recently wrote and directed “A
Distant Thunder” - a powerful 35-minute film that
combines courtroom drama and supernatural warfare to help
reveal the reality of what abortion does to a baby, and to
the baby’s mother. Jonathan is married to Deborah
Flora (the star of "A Distant Thunder") and they have two
children, Olivia and Benjamin.
Read more testimonies for men by
clicking here.
Find resources for men by
clicking here.
See more post-abortion testimonies from men
on our website and
on the
Priests
for Life website.
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