It's my baby too.

200,000 abortions are carried out annually in the UK; what support is there for men who are affected by this? Some archive audio testimony suggests the consequences of criminal abortion practiced prior to the The Abortion Bill in 1967. Lord Steel recalls the idea that men were to be consulted when their partner requires an abortion; in the end, this was not actionable via law. A representative from Marie Stopes talks about the usual scenario of a woman receiving counselling with their partner sitting alone in the waiting room. In fact, men may have sidelined themselves; an expert from the US suggests that men demure to their partner as this is considered to be 'a female space'. A number of testimonies corrobrate this. Tony is 39 and married with a family; his partner when he was younger had a termination. He talks about his feelings. 'Peter' 60 discusses a number of terminations and his ambivalence about how this may have changed his life. 'Robert' talks about his experience of accompanying his girlfriend when she needed a termination after a contraceptive failure. Louise Knowles from Relate, talks about the idea of being a parent especially for men and the mixed emotions this causes. There are few studies on the effect of abortion on men; Arthur Shostak (a 'Pro-Life' researcher) carried out a study and outlines his findings; men needed counselling too. 'Survival guilt' can be a feature. Journalists Felicity Morse and Nicky Hodgson discuss their varying experiences of abortion with their male partners and the lack of suitable outlet for their feelings. Sarah Ditum does not agree that men should be further involved and that the current provision via the NHS is adequate. Vic Proctor believes that men should be encouraged to talk more. Michael Neville, BPAS, outlines services for post-abortion counselling, men are not funded.