"Never a word."

Men Hurt Too!

Jonathan Flora
Silent No More Awareness Campaign
January

January 23, 2006


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.)