Washington, DC — Pro-life advocates, in an effort to help women and take the pro-woman mantra away from abortion activists, have turned their attention to the after effects of abortion on women, issuing a warning to women that having an abortion increases the risk of breast cancer . The existence of such a link has been heatedly disputed by pro-abortion groups and because of abortion politics has been rejected so far by establishment leaders at the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the Breast Cancer Coalition.
Pro-life advocates insist a medical link exists, pointing to more than two dozen supportive medical studies. They are lobbying state legislatures – successfully in a few states – to adopt laws requiring abortion practitioners to inform women of the link before they have abortions. In Mississippi and Louisiana, a reference to a possible link between abortion and breast cancer is required as part of the state's informed-consent laws, said Dorinda Bordlee, a Louisiana lawyer representing Americans United for Life. In Kansas, the warning is part of written information provided to patients.
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering two such bills that are before committees. The state Legislature is also considering broader ''women's right to know'' legislation, which would require abortion practitioners to give women seeking abortions a variety of information on the dangerous psychological and physical effects of abortion, as well as information on alternatives to abortion.
''We definitely support the bills. We believe there is a risk between abortion and breast cancer,'' said Marie Sturgis, executive director of Massachusetts Citizens for Life.
Melissa Kogut, executive director of the Massachusetts chapter of NARAL, said the bills have little chance of passage this year because lawmakers are consumed with budget issues and their reelection campaigns. But ''the political landscape could change next year'' after the elections, she said.
Right-to-know legislation got a boost from a 1992 Supreme Court decision upholding similar legislation in Pennsylvania. That ruling said states may pass such laws as a 24-hour waiting period and informed consent laws.
Meanwhile, abortion advocates have criticized pro-life groups for promoting such legislation.
''The anti-choice movement has switched their tactics somewhat, and now are trying to attempt to dissuade women from having abortions by using medical misinformation,'' said Vicki Saporta, executive director of the National Abortion Federation. Abortion foes accuse cancer organizations of a cover-up.
However, one pro-life advocate says the issue is about who cares more for the well-being of women considering abortion.
''This is a politically explosive issue. They're taking on the women's groups that have promoted abortion for several decades now,'' said Karen Malec, president of the Coalition on Abortion-Breast Cancer. ''[Abortion advocates] have just not wanted to recognize this risk. There is a conspiracy of silence.''
The most vocal person researching a link between breast cancer and abortion is Dr. Joel Brind, a professor of biology and endocrinology at Baruch University in New York. Brind has testified before state legislatures and courts as an expert on the subject.
Brind's scientific argument: During pregnancy, the female body produces added estrogen and growth hormones, enlarging the breasts. During a full-term pregnancy, new breast cells turn into cells needed to produce milk. But if the pregnancy is aborted, the estrogen stays in the woman's system. Further, the cell replication occurring in the breasts does not complete its full course and the cells may become cancerous.
See the Boston Globe for full coverage.
(This article courtesy of Steven Ertelt and the Pro-Life Infonet email newsletter. For more information or to subscribe go to www.prolifeinfo.org or email infonet@prolifeinfo.org.)
