Planned Parenthood “Facts”: Abortion Is Safe

The facts about abortion and it’s potential dangers are not widely known.

Why don’t people know more about abortion? Why is a website like this one even necessary? So much of what we hear about abortion consists of half-truths, distortions, and outright lies. Let’s examine some of the ways in which people are deceived about abortion.

Planned Parenthood has a website aimed at teenagers called Teenwire.

The site allows teenagers to e-mail questions to Planned Parenthood “experts” about birth control, sex, and abortion. In one “Ask the Experts” article (found at http://www.teenwire.com/ask/2005/as-20050228p974-abortion.php) the question of abortion’s safety is addressed.

The question:

Dear Experts,

Is abortion safe?

greenie, 02.28.05

The answer:

Dear greenie,

Yes. Abortion is a very safe procedure. It’s about twice as safe as a shot of penicillin, and is 11 times safer than giving birth. Contrary to what you may have heard, abortion does not increase the risk of:

birth defects, premature birth, or low birth weight in future pregnancies

breast cancer

ectopic or tubal pregnancy

miscarriage

…

Hope this information helps!

Take care,

teenwire.com Editors

 

Planned Parenthood is quick to assure teens that there are no physical dangers to abortion. However, they do not offer a single study or citation to prove abortion’s safety.

So…let’s look at what the studies say:

Abortion Increases Risk of Later Miscarriage by 60%

Source: N. Maconochie, P. Doyle, S. Prior, R. Simmons, “Risk factors for first trimester miscarriage” results from a UK-population-based case-control study,” BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dec 2006. Abstract available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.

Women who have abortions are more likely to experience ectopic pregnancies, infertility, hysterectomies, stillbirths, miscarriages, and premature births than women who have not had abortions.

Source: Strahan, T. Detrimental Effects of Abortion: An Annotated Bibliography with Commentary (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 2002) 168-206.

More studies confirming higher risk of ectopic pregnancy:

Daling,et.al., “Ectopic Pregnancy in Relation to Previous Induced Abortion”, J. American Medical Association 253(7):1005-1008, Feb. 15, 1985;

Levin, et.al., “Ectopic Pregnancy and Prior Induced Abortion”, American J. Public Health 72:253, 1982; C.S. Chung, “Induced Abortion and Ectopic Pregnancy in Subsequent Pregnancies,” American J. Epidemiology 115(6):879-887 (1982).

Death or disability of newborns in later pregnancies

Cervical and uterine damage may increase the risk of premature delivery, complications of labor, and abnormal development of the placenta in later pregnancies.

Sources: “Post-Abortal Endometritis and Isolation of Chlamydia Trachomatis,” Obstetrics and Gynecology 68(5):668- 690, 1986);

P. Sykes, “Complications of termination of pregnancy: a retrospective study of admissions to Christchurch Women’s Hospital, 1989 and 1990,” New Zealand Medical Journal 106: 83-85, March 10, 1993; S Osser and K Persson, “Postabortal pelvic infection associated with Chlamydia trachomatis infection and the influence of humoral immunity,” Am J Obstet Gynecol 150:699, 1984;

B. Hamark and L Forssman, “Postabortal Endometritis in Chlamydia-Negative Women- Association with Preoperative Clinical Signs of Infection,” Gynecol Obstet Invest 31:102-105, 1991;

Strahan, Detrimental Effects of Abortion: An Annotated Bibliography With Commentary (Springfield, IL: Acorn Books, 2002) 169.

Studies indicating higher risk of breast cancer after one or more abortions:

M. Segi, et al “An Epidemiological Study on Cancer in Japan,” GANN, Vol. 48, Supplement: April, 1957. (abstract not available)

Pike et al (1981) Br Journal of Cancer 43 Oral contraceptive use and early abortion as risk factors for breast cancer in young women

Nishiyama (1982) Shikoku Ichi 38: 333-43 (In Japanese)

Laing et al (1993) J National Med Assoc. 85:931-9 Breast cancer risk factors in African – American women: the Howard University Tumor Resistry experience.

Laing et al (1994) Genetic Epidemiology 11:A300

Rohan et al. Am J Epidemiol 1988 Sep;128(3):478-89 A population-based case-control study of diet and breast cancer in Australia.

Bu et al. (1995) Am J Epidemiol 141:S85

Ye et al. (2002) Br J Cancer 87:977-981

Brinton et al. (1983) Br. Journal of Cancer 47:757-62 Reproductive factors in the etiology of breast cancer.

Rosenburg et al. (1988) Am J Epidemiology 127:981-9 Breast cancer in relation to the occurrence and time of induced and spontaneous abortion.

Marcus et al. Am J Public Health 1999 Aug; 89(8):1244-7 Adolescent reproductive events and subsequent breast cancer risk.

Palmer et al. (1997) Cancer Causes Control 8:841-9 Induced and spontaneous abortion in relation to risk of breast cancer.

Lazovich et al. Epidemiology 2000 Jan;11(1):76-80 Induced abortion and breast cancer risk.

Daling et al. Am J Epidemiol 1996 Aug 15;144(4):373-80 Risk of breast cancer among white women following induced abortion.

Daling et al. J Natl Cancer Inst 1994 Nov 2;86(21):1584-92 Risk of breast cancer among young women: relationship to induced abortion.

Laing et al. J Natl Med Assoc 1993 Dec;85(12):931-9 Breast cancer risk factors in African-American women: the Howard University Tumor Registry experience.

White et al. (1994) J Natl Cancer Inst 86:505-14 Breast cancer among young U.S. women in relation to oral contraceptive use.

Newcomb et al. (1996) JAMA 275:283-7 Pregnancy termination in relation to risk of breast cancer.

Howe et al. Int J Epidemiol 1989 Jun;18(2):300-4 Early abortion and breast cancer risk among women under age 40.

Andrieu et al. Br J Cancer 1995 Sep;72(3):744-51 Familial risk, abortion and their interactive effect on the risk of breast cancer–a combined analysis of six case-control studies.

Hirohata et al. (1985) Natl Cancer Inst Monogr 69:187-90 Occurrence of breast cancer in relation to diet and reproductive history: a case-control study in Fukuoka, Japan.

Ewertz & Duffy (1988) Br J Cancer 68:99-104 Risk of breast cancer in relation to reproductive factors in Denmark.

Lipworth et al. (1995) Int J Cancer 61:181-4 Abortion and the risk of breast cancer: a case-control study in Greece

Rookus & van Leeuwan J Natl Cancer Inst 88:1759-64 Induced abortion and risk for breast cancer: reporting (recall) bias in a Dutch case-control study

Talamini et al. (1996) Eur J Cancer 32A:303-10 The role of reproductive and menstrual factors in cancer of the breast before and after menopause

Watanabe & Hirayama (1968) Nippon Rinsho 26:1853-9 (in Japanese, no abstract available)

Dvoirin & Medvedev (1978) Meth Prog Breast Cancer Epidemiol Res, Tallin 1978. USSR Acad Sci pp 53-63 (In Russian)

Le et al., (1984) British J Cancer 72:744-51

Luporsi (1988) British J Cancer 72:744-51

Wu et al. (1996) Br J Cancer 73:680-6

Robertson C, Van Den Donk M, Primic-Zakelj, MacFarlaneT, Boyle P. The association between induced and spontaneous abortion and risk of breast cancer in Slovenian women aged 25-54. Breast 2001; 10:291-8.

Source: Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer

Interestingly enough:

“It is known that having a full-term pregnancy early in a woman’s childbearing years is protective against breast cancer….Interruption during the first trimester of a first pregnancy causes a cessation of cell differentiation, which may result in a subsequent increase in the risk of cancerous growth in these tissues.”

Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. Web site, “Abortion and Breast Cancer: The Issues” 3 (visited Sep. 5, 1997) http://www.igc.apc.org/ppfa/ab-breas.html]

So…even though numerous studies have shown that abortion does increase the risk of breast cancer and the fact Planned Parenthood has actually admitted to that risk, the organization is hasty to assure teenagers that the risk does not exist.

Teenagers coming to Planned Parenthood for abortions and birth control contribute millions of dollars to the organization every year.

Perhaps the link between profits and lying is a bit easier to see?

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