Deconstructing Elaine

Planet Jackson Hole, Oct 8, 2008.

"Interruption during the first trimester of a first pregnancy causes a cessation of cell differentiation..."
Well, yeah.
If a pregnancy ends, the body will respond accordingly and stop performing functions that go with pregnancy, such as changes in breast tissue, whether the interruption is spontaneous or induced.

"...which may result in a subsequent increase in the risk of cancerous growth in these tissues."
Hmm. Really? I see the word "may" there as well as no quantification of the amount of risk.
According to Elaine's ad, this was found on the Planned Parenthood website on Sept. 5 1997. A quick search of PubMed finds some interesting results. Several articles concerning a link between abortion and breast cancer came out in the late 90s, a majority of which reported a link.
5 or so years later, a new round of articles came out, pointing out biases in previous papers and/or correcting poor experimental design. It is tricky to ensure that you don't bias your results, and multiple areas of concern must be addressed (are you comparing spontaneous abortions to induced abortions? women who have birthed to those that haven't? were these first pregnancies and abortions or were there completed pregnancies before the abortion? etc.)
I was intrigued to find that political bias is allowed to shine through your "journal." I hadn't encountered it so directly before, but my previous searches on this website were for work and didn't address this issue or similarly political issues. There's a pro-life journal (I see you and your bias, Issues in Law and Medicine) that regularly publishes papers and submits them to PubMed. Hope my taxes aren't funding that research!
Anyway, the latest papers (2007, 2008) seem to still have some mixed results on this issue. Those that found a strong link usually have authors that always find a strong link but most papers conclude there is very little to no increased risk of breast cancer linked to abortion.

Breast Fest '08!

Support local breast cancer survivors and celebrate women at BREAST FEST 2008!
When: Friday, 6 p.m.
Where: Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, 130 S. Jackson.

Fundraiser for breast cancer research with music, food, auction, raffle. $5 suggested donation.

And another thing....

The Turning Point (aka Crisis Pregnancy Center aka Whatever Misleading Name They Want To Use This Week) website states that "Reputable studies suggests that women who abort face a 50% increase in breast cancer". This myth has been busted time and time again. The American Cancer Society, who I'll go ahead and call an authority on the subject, states that "the public is not well-served by false alarms and at the present time, the scientific evidence does not support a causal association between induced abortion and breast cancer." So, why does Turning Point continue to broadcast this fallacy? Because they want to scare women into carrying unplanned pregnancies to term with threats of disease. What a great way to celebrate life.

Moreover, 100 of the world’s leading experts on pregnancy and breast cancer risk concluded that "breast cancer risk is temporarily increased after a term pregnancy (that is, a pregnancy that results in the birth of a living child)" (National Cancer Institute. Summary Report: Early Reproductive Events and Breast Cancer Workshop). Why aren't "pro-life" advocates warning women about the health threats of giving birth? If Turning Point wants you to have all the facts, why don't they tell you about the risks of carrying a pregnancy to term, which significantly outweigh the risks of abortion?

Because the pro-life movement is not pro life.

Pro-Life = forcing women to carry pregnancies to term regardless of their wants, needs, health, financial situation, emotional state, readiness, etc., etc., etc.