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| Men’s Role Confusion |  Everybody knows that in most cultures men are supposed to be strong and responsible. They have to act like real men. Psychologist Nancy Michels described in her book how the abortion experience forms role confusion in the following male attributes.
1. Power
Fathers have no legal or personal rights in the issue of abortion. They do not even have the right to know that abortion is happening. This keeping a secret event can leave him feeling powerless and frustrated.
2. Activity and Self-reliance
Men are supposed to be in control of their life and able to change their environment. When they have no input into the abortion decision, they are likely to feel deceived and manipulated.
3. Achievement
Failure is destructive to men. When pregnancy and abortion happen in an unmarried couple, their relationship is more likely to fail. Studies have proved that failure in relationships can cause alcoholism, depression and suicide. The only time abortion supports a man’s need to achieve when the man maintains his self-esteem through sexual accomplishments.
4. Protectiveness
Abortion lays a severe strain on men’s protective instincts. They are not given permission to feel and grieve this “loss of fatherhood”. Even if man was willing to support the abortion, afterward he is as likely to suffer from guilt, grief and anxiety as the woman.
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