Medical Group Endorses Legislation Requiring Doctors to Warn About Abortion-Breast Cancer Risk

11/12/2003

From: Karen Malec of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, 1-877-803-0102 or response@abortionbreastcancer.com; http://www.AbortionBreastCancer.com

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill., Nov. 12 -- The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer today welcomed news that the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) passed a resolution endorsing state legislation, which would require abortion doctors to inform patients about the increased risk of breast cancer associated with having an induced abortion.

"It's tragic that some doctors have to be forced to reveal the breast cancer risk to their patients," opined Karen Malec, president of the coalition. "However, thousands of women have developed the disease because profiteers in the abortion and the cancer fundraising industries misrepresented the abortion-breast cancer (ABC) research and concealed the risk from them for 46 years."

The CMA resolution, which was passed on October 15, 2003, says:

"Whereas epidemiological evidence of an association between abortion and breast cancer has existed for almost a half century,

"Whereas 29 out of 38 worldwide epidemiological studies show an increased risk of breast cancer of approximately 30 percent among women who have had an abortion,

"Whereas all women undergoing abortion are entitled to full informed consent as to all risks including long term risks,

"Therefore be it resolved that the Catholic Medical Association endorses the passage of state legislation to require abortionists to inform all women of their future increased vulnerability to breast cancer."

Mrs. Malec concluded, "I encourage the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the rest of the cancer fundraising establishment to come clean and abandon their paternalistic policy of censoring any research reporting a positive relationship between abortion and breast cancer. Even a study labeled 'authoritative' and 'definitive' by the ACS and other cancer groups reports a 29 percent risk elevation for women under age 20 who procure abortions and a statistically significant 89 percent risk elevation for women obtaining abortions after 18 weeks gestation. Yet, the cancer establishment has effectively used the study to erase any notion from the minds of women that abortion might be unsafe." (NOTE 1)

The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an international women's organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of women by educating and providing information on abortion as a risk factor for breast cancer.

References:

NOTE 1: Melbye et al. (1997) N Engl J Med 336:81-5.