American Family Radio (AFR)’s “The Stand Radio” program recently sat down with Andrea Powell and David Thompson from Parkgate Pregnancy Clinic in Tupelo, Mississippi, to discuss a game-changing shift in pro-life ministry: Engaging fathers early in the decision-making process.
Recent research shows the baby's father is the primary influence when a mother decides to choose life.
According to Care Net, 74% of men said their partner talked with them before having an abortion, and 38% of men said they had the most influence on a women’s abortion decision.
Furthermore, an article for LifeNews suggests abortions would drop by 40% if men were responsible fathers.
Andrea Powell, executive director at Parkgate, explained how that discovery transformed their clinic's approach.
“It really has positively shifted our approach from focusing solely on the mom to engaging the dad while he is present in the clinic. Understanding his role in helping make that decision for life, we recognized we needed to make a shift,” Powell said.
To lead that charge, Parkgate brought on David Thompson, fatherhood director at Parkgate, earlier this year. When a father accompanies a mom into the clinic, Thompson steps in for a direct, one-on-one conversation to address his fears and offer ongoing support.
“When a mom is trying to make a decision for life, she wants dad to be involved. Almost always, if dad says, ‘Hey, I want this baby, let's make it work,’ she says, ‘Yeah, I'd keep the baby.’ We hear overwhelmingly that she wants him involved in making this decision,” Thompson said.
Through a four-week mentoring program, and gospel-focused classes, Parkgate connects dads with practical tools and spiritual guidance — partnering with local churches to disciple fathers for the long haul.
“We've seen two dads take the step to receive Christ, and we've seen 14 dads jump into our fatherhood mentor program,” Thompson
To learn more or connect with local resources, visit parkgateclinic.org.
