And that’s not the only study that’s been dismissed out of hand. There have been many. So what gives?
I don’t need to tell you that the topic of abortion is politically controversial and charged with emotion. After all, 30 percent of women have an elective abortion before age 45. They don’t want to hear anything negative about it – and perhaps in most cases they don’t want to hear anything at all.
Yet it’s worth trying to set aside politics and even your own past in an effort to limit your cancer risk… because your life could depend on it.
Don’t you owe it to yourself to try to discover the truth, so you can take action to protect your future and the futures of women you care about?
First off, how good is the evidence that there is a link between having an abortion and then later developing breast cancer?
The first study showing the link dates back to 1957 – long before abortion was even legal in the U.S.
Then, a 1996 meta-analysis of worldwide research on the abortion-breast cancer link encompassed 23 studies on the subject. It revealed a stunning 30 percent increase in breast cancer for women who’d had an abortion in the past.
Those results incited a ten-year-long backlash from mainstream medical groups, journals, public health organizations, and the abortion rights camp.
Yet the studies provided an abundance of proof that abortion is not only a cause of cancer, but an especially potent one.
As of 2014, at least 28 separate epidemiological studies show a positive correlation, and 21 of those show a statistically significant risk.
What’s more, two of the three major meta-analyses support existence of the link.
In 2007, a multinational study found that abortion was the most accurate predictor of breast cancer out of seven factors studied across eight countries – including the United Kingdom, the Irish Republic, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Denmark.
The most overwhelming evidence of all comes from India.
There, women marry early, have many children, and breastfeed… all of which are known to reduce breast cancer risk. So the potential abortion-breast cancer link is easier to observe there.
The evidence from India isn’t merely clear. It’s screaming from the mountaintops.
On average, these studies amount to a staggering 439% increased risk of breast cancer if a woman had had an abortion.
This isn’t just a strong correlation, either. It suggests a causalrelationship. Meaning that abortion can actually trigger breast cancer. The most likely explanation for how abortion causes breast cancer is even stronger for women who had abortions in their teen years.
During pregnancy, a woman’s body undergoes dramatic changes – including changes to the breasts.
The female hormone estrogen is a known carcinogen that triggers cell division. When estrogen goes crazy you can get cancer.
These two known facts suggest how an abortion can increase breast cancer risk. During pregnancy estrogen boosts the creation of breast tissue clusters called lobules in preparation for breastfeeding. This creates very unstable breast tissue early in pregnancy, which then matures in the last month or two of pregnancy.
Mature breast tissue is less vulnerable to estrogen’s carcinogenic effects. But the unstable tissues of early stage pregnancy are highly susceptible to cancer. When the maturation process is interrupted by an abortion, it leaves unstable breast tissue in its wake.
Additional estrogen instabilities due to the monthly cycle, the “pill”, or (later in life) hormone replacement therapy (HRT) also boost a woman’s breast cancer risk.
If this theory of the causal mechanism is true, it begs the question of why elective abortion triggers estrogen-related damage but miscarriage apparently does not.
The key factor seems to be that estrogen levels can be much lower in pregnancies destined to end in miscarriage. So the disruption causes less collateral damage.
Critics argue that the studies are tainted – by “recall bias,” anti-abortion bias, or both.
The recall bias argument postulates that women may falsify or cover up their abortion history, which would skew results.
Dr. Joel Brind is a leading endocrinologist and an expert on the link between abortion and breast cancer. He concurs that some women might misrepresent their medical history of abortion(s).
Critics also suggest that studies on the link are tainted by researchers’ personal views on abortion.
Yet the actual studies supporting the link are widely accepted in the scientific community.
Interestingly, Dr. Janet Daling of the National Cancer Institute self-identifies as pro-choice.
One non-speaker participant disagreed with the NCI’s conclusion, but no one was willing to debate the issue with him.
That participant was Dr. Joel Brind, who published detailed statements about the flawed nature of that 2003 workshop.11 One compelling argument in his favor was the NCI’s failure to invite any speakers who support the existence of the ABC link.
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons says that women have the right to know about all the ramifications of abortion before undergoing the procedure. What a novel idea!
2. Childbearing protects women against breast cancer. Not only does a live birth mean avoiding the risks of abortion… it also confers breast health benefits by equipping the mother with cancer-resistant stable breast tissue.
5. Oral contraceptives (aka, “the pill”) and conventional hormone replacement therapy (using prescription drugs rather than natural hormones) alter your hormones and increase your risk of breast cancer.
If you’re of a certain age, you may have had an abortion many decades ago. Obviously, it’s too late for you to turn back the clock.
1. Maintain an optimal weight.
2. Get moving. Walk 10,000 steps per day. Lift some weights. Find a sport you love and engage.
6. Reduce your stress level.
One of the most loving things you can do for younger loved ones is to take the initiative and engage them in an honest discussion about the cancer risk associate with abortion.
Consider the worst thing that could happen if the link is true… versus the worst that could happen if it later proves not to be true. Then act accordingly. At least you’ve covered your bases.