In the United States, abortion is a woman’s right. This means that although it is a joint effort to create the life inside a mother, ultimately it is only her choice to end it. Whether your stance on the subject is pro-life, pro-choice, or completely neutral, it does not change the fact that regret and sadness are emotions experienced by many women who go through with this procedure. A video has recently surfaced online which shows an interesting perspective on the issue and explains that men can also be left feeling regretful after an abortion.

“I had two abortions.” It’s not a common sentence to hear men say, but yet that’s just what we hear Daniel Philipps explain in the Heroic Media video. While it is true that abortion does not cause mental health issues, it can cause emotional trauma, and as we all know, emotional trauma sometimes comes with psychological repercussions. Regardless of the obvious religious undertones observed in the video, it perfectly highlights the guilt experienced by men whose partners have undergone an abortion.

Post-abortion stress syndrome, or PASS, describes the negative feelings that some women can experience after the procedure. As we learn from the testimonial of the men in the video, these feelings can also exist in men. PASS exists no matter the individual’s religious or political background and is based on the mere premise that any emotional event has the possibility of causing emotional trauma. Symptoms of PASS may include: guilt, anxiety, depression, flashbacks, and in the most extreme cases, suicidal thoughts.

The emotional pain felt by some couples post-abortion can be overcome with time, but recognizing that guilt is not just a “woman’s problem,” but rather a “people’s problem,” is the first step toward healing.