A report presented yesterday to the National Cancer Institutes' Board of Scientific Advisors and Board of Scientific Counselors suggests that there is no association between abortion and breast cancer risk. The scientists, some of whom had earlier did find associations between abortion and breast cancer, claimed that their own findings were fundamentally flawed as a result of an alleged phenomenon called “recall bias” or “report bias.” However, bias in the new report was evidenced as the scientists also claimed that a full term pregnancy reduces risk of breast cancer.
Karen Malec, the president of a women's organization, the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, commented that “Women aren't stupid. We can connect the dots. If a full term pregnancy protects against breast cancer and childlessness raises risk, then logically an abortion will raise risk.”
Mrs. Malec said, “The NCI, the American Cancer Society and other cancer organizations concealed the existence of this ongoing research since 1957. In recent years, they have lied to women and omitted important facts about the research on their websites. Now the same scientists who rely on these organizations for funding expect women to believe them when they say “There is no relationship between abortion and breast cancer,' although their own research says otherwise. These organizations know that if they ever admit to a relationship between abortion and breast cancer, then they'll have to face the wrath of women. The NCI and other cancer groups are only postponing the day when they will have to answer for their misconduct.”
Mrs. Malec added, “Scientists know there is no evidence of recall bias, a theory which says that more cancer patients honestly report their abortion histories than healthy women. The study, Howe et al. 1989 ruled out any possibility of recall bias because researchers used medical records and matched them to fetal death certificates. They did not use interviews. Yet Howe et al found a statistically significant 89% increased risk.”
Mrs. Malec concluded, “The American Cancer Society expects 211,300 cases of invasive breast cancer this year, an increase of approximately 8,000 cases over last year's estimate. Yet, the NCI tells women its scientists don't know why breast cancer rates surged by more than 40% between 1987 and 1998. Moreover, they haven't explained why the increase was limited to the younger women of the Roe v. Wade generation, not to older women.”
See the Yahoo News coverage.
(This update courtesy of LifeSite News.)
