Breast cancer & abortion – the overlooked link

Right to Life of Michigan discovered that Planned Parenthood of South Central Michigan received $6,000 in funds from the Southwest Michigan Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation in 1997. Planned Parenthood, America's largest abortion provider, receives millions of dollars in funds each year from various organizations, so why is this measly $6,000 important? It's important because from whom it comes. The Komen Foundation's mission is "to eradicate breast cancer as a life-threatening disease by advancing research, education, screening, and treatment."

Why would an organization dedicated to stopping breast cancer support an organization that promotes and provides services that increase the risk of getting breast cancer in thousands of women every year? This is like the American Lung Association making a charitable donation to Phillip Morris.

In studies across the United States and in other countries, it has been found that women who have had abortions have a greater chance of getting breast cancer later in life. These are studies that have been done by professionals and are published in respected medical journals.

One study conducted in 1990 summarized findings in medical studies from Canada, Denmark, France, Israel, Japan, the United States, and the USSR, which found that "abortions, either multiple or occurring before the first full term pregnancy, have been shown to be significantly associated with breast cancer risks."¹ A study done by the National Cancer Institute in Washington found that women who had an abortion increased their risk of getting breast cancer by 50 percent. This risk was more than doubled if the woman's abortion (or first abortion) took place before the age of 18 or over the age of 30.²

Probably the most ironic part of Komen's funding of Planned Parenthood is that it is designed to help African-American women. This is puzzling because African-American women receive disproportionately more abortions than the rest of the female population. This means that a larger percentage of African-American women are put at a greater risk for breast cancer because of the abortion services that Planned Parenthood promotes.

If Planned Parenthood really wanted to help stop breast cancer, they wouldn't continually ignore and deny the link between abortion and breast cancer. Planned Parenthood should also warn women who are considering abortion to end an unwanted pregnancy about the increased risk of breast cancer that is associated with having an abortion.

References:

1 Remennick L, (1990), Induced Abortion as a Cancer Risk Factor: A Review of Epidemiological Evidence, Journal of Epidemiological Community Health, 44: 259-264.
2 Daling J.R., Malone K.E., Voight L.F., White E., and Weiss N.S., (1994), Risk of Breast Cancer Among Young Women: A Relationship to Individual Abortion, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 86: 1584-1592.

 

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