Controversy over Supposed Abortion/Breast Cancer Link

November 23, 2004

In today’s column I asserted that there is a statistical correlation between abortion and breast cancer. I have received many irate e-mails falling, generally, into two different categories. The first involves the complaint that I was implying that women who died of breast cancer must have had an abortion. A number of women e-mailed me and expressed in strong and emotional terms that they resented deeply my suggestion that their sister or mother must have had an abortion because she died of breast cancer. I’m surprised that anyone could have drawn such an inference, but I certainly didn’t intend to make such a point at all.

I was referring to research concluding that women who have had an abortion are more likely than women who haven’t had an abortion to get breast cancer. I was not suggesting that all women who got breast cancer had an abortion. That would be absurd. No one is suggesting that. The thrust of my point was also not intended to be judgmental of the women. It was a commentary on the pro-abortion institutions who don’t fully inform pregnant women of all the potential consequences of having an abortion.

The second category of negative e-mails involved the criticism that I was citing faulty science. The National Cancer Institute, according to these e-mails, disputes the statistical correlation. On that point, perhaps I should have added a qualifier, such as “the alleged correlation…” or “the disputed correlation.” The reason I didn’t is because I issued that qualifier once — I believe it was in a speech — and was thereafter told, by people I trust, that there really is such a clear correlation, notwithstanding the disagreement of the National Cancer Institute.

Here is a link to an interesting article by physician Frank Joseph, which includes links to and references to a number of other studies and articles.

See also these articles by Michael Fumento: “The Abortion-Cancer Study to End All Studies? Hardly,” and “Abortion-Breast Cancer Study Threatens Media Sacred Cow.”

See also Dr. Joel Brind’s “Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis of the Abortion/Breast Cancer Link.”

And, check out these WND columns by Julie Foster, “Abortion-Breast Cancer Link Still Ignored,” and “More Evidence Linking Abortion, Breast Cancer.”

IF ANYONE HAS ANY OTHER INFORMATION PLEASE E-MAIL IT TO ME AND I’LL GET IT POSTED. I AGREE THAT SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE SHOULD NOT BE POLITICIZED BY EITHER SIDE OF THE ARGUMENT. BUT I WANT TO SAY THAT IF THERE EVEN AN ARGUABLE LINK, PREGNANT WOMEN CONTEMPLATING AN ABORTION OUGHT TO BE MADE AWARE OF IT. ONLY THOSE WITH A POLITICAL AGENDA WOULD OBJECT TO SUCH A REASONABLE COURSE OF ACTION.

Update: Here is a link provided to me by a kind e-mailer: http://www.aaplog.org/ABC.htm

Update II: Here’s an interesting e-mail, with links, sent to me by another friend:

Here is what I found. The first 2 links are liberal media. The last link has really good info. I quoted some of it.

Govt. brochure wrongly links abortion, cancer

Abortion ‘no breast cancer link’

Abortion, cancer link debated

Abortion-cancer link goes on trial

“To test the veracity of the statements used by the clinic, the validity of studies done on the relationship between abortion and breast cancer goes on trial. Activists on both sides of the abortion debate have hotly contested each other’s studies, attacking the scientific credibility of research methodology and conclusions.

It is widely held among physicians and scientists acknowledging what is known as an “ABC link” (abortion-breast cancer link) that 28 out of 37 studies published on the subject in different parts of the world and 13 out of 15 studies in the United States support the claim.”

Update III: CrushKerry.com (which may have to reconsider changing it’s name to anklebitingpundits.com, by the way, considering that Kerry wants to run again in 2008) was kind enough to link to this post and request that its readers provide me data on this subject. One of them sent me a Crushkerry link “to a discussion among informed women” on the subject.

Search