‘Almost Daddy’ Author Pulls Back Veil on Men’s Trauma After Abortion

As we’ve witnessed once again in recent days, abortion is a hyper-politicized issue, where the debate is always framed as a winner-takes-all battle over the rights of women versus the rights of the unborn child. But there’s a third, invisible party whose interests get virtually no consideration at all—the father. Men might be blamed for playing a role in creating the pregnancy, but there’s no thought given to how he might be impacted by the ending of it too. “Almost Daddy” is a powerful new novel by Gregory Mayo about how traumatic abortion can be for the man too. Traumatic in ways society doesn’t recognize and many men in that position don’t even realize themselves. In addition to being an author, Mayo is a speaker and the creator of a 12-step recovery guide for post-abortion healing for men of the same name. He’s also on the men’s task force with Support After Abortion. You can visit either link above for resources and Support After Abortion also offers a confidential 24/7 help hotline: 844-289-HOPE Mayo talks about Post Abortion Stress Syndrome (PASS) and typical acting out behaviors for men suffering PASS. Below are listed of some of those. PASS Symptoms Anger / rage Anxiety / Worry Feeling like a failure or fear of failure Low self-esteem Helplessness Suicidal thoughts Depression Self-loathing Toxic shame etc. Acting Out Behaviors Frequent job changes Lack of trust Risk-taking Attention deficit Isolation/avoidance Alcohol or drug abuse Displaced aggression Problems with commitment Serial sexual relationships Changed views on God Judging oneself without mercy