quote:

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A major weapon of the anti-abortion movement is their scare-mongering claim that having an abortion significantly increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer (the “ABC link”). This allegation is grossly deceptive and just plain false. A substantial weight of evidence counters the ABC link, and a recent international scientific consensus has rejected the link.

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BUT: Why is this issue so quickly dismissed just because of the "camp" it's coming from?

This theory/idea/finding has been published in respected medical texts, not just slathered on some "holy-rollers" sign. Think about it. Women who have miscarriages are also at an increased risk of breast cancer due to the drastic hormone fluctuations that come with losing a pregnancy... kinda basic isn't it? Men who take steroids are more likely to develop testicular cancer due to the hormone fluctuations.

I don't think you have to be an advocate for women to remained bare-footed wet-breasted breeders chained in the kitchen in order to pay attention to this issue.

Whether it is through abortion, the use of strong bcps, or miscarriages, this makes hormonal sense, and I feel it shouldn't be dismissed just because it dares suggest that abortion may not be a healthy thing for women.

Next, the reason I mention it being the holy-rollers is because the article mentions that this slight correlation is becoming a tool of the anti-abortion movement, which you have to admit is mostly fueled by religious groups, even if your particular reason for being against abortion is not religious in nature.

And the other reason I mentioned it is because it seems that there is an opposing medical viewpoint that says the risks are minimal if present at all. It's similar to this whole made-up "illness" that religious anti-abortion groups have called PAS (Post Abortion Syndrome). They realized that they weren't really getting anywhere by showing pictures of dead, mutilated fetuses, so they decided to turn their PR campaign towards women - as in, abortion is bad for WOMEN, not just the baby. But the problem is, PAS doesn't exist. It is not medically recognized, and studies have shown that the supposed symptoms don't exist either. Most women after getting an abortion deal with it just fine - if they've had an adverse emotional reaction to it, then it could be a very temporary hormone imbalance similar to post partum depression, or maybe it just might be the stress from having abortion protesters screaming "killer, killer" at them when they go into the clinic.

I'm not asking you to change your opinion on abortion, I think everyone pretty much stated their cases well, all I ask is that you do not dismiss this information just because some nutty religious group yells about it.

If Mike Harris thought Newton was a genius and trumpeted about it, that doesn't mean the laws of gravity are wrong just because some guy you can't stand concurs with it.

I guess in a way I'm suggesting you "shoot" the messengers but read the notice anyway.

**And the reason I wonder if I should be posting here was that, again, I've never seen femminist literature or found organization that is femminist but against abortion. I feel like I don't fit in... and I don't want to ruin the thread that is made for femminist discussion by disagreeing on a fundamental issue of femminism. I'll go google it, but I'm doubtful I'll find anything**

[ January 09, 2002: Message edited by: Trinitty ]

quote:

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I'm not asking you to change your opinion on abortion, I think everyone pretty much stated their cases well, all I ask is that you do not dismiss this information just because some nutty religious group yells about it.

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But if I'm reading Michelle's post right, Trinitty, she's dismissing it, in the first instance, because it's inaccurate. It's just bad science -- of which, I can tell you, there's far more around than good science. "Findings could not be replicated" is code for "we think the other crowd are right out to lunch, but are strongly discouraged from saying so in so many words."

http://www.msmagazine.com/aug01/pas.html

I draw your attention to this because it explains clearly what I was talking about earlier, about how the anti-abortion movement is trying to use pseudo-science to push their agenda.

[ January 09, 2002: Message edited by: Michelle ]

I personally am not ready to dimiss the possibility that this reaction to abortion does exist. Of all the women who've had different experiences getting pregnant, and getting abortions, I'm sure lots of reactions are possible.

I knew a girl who had two abortions in one year, recieved no pressure from anyone, was not protested against, and was not a church-goer. Yet, she's now in councelling due to having night terrors. I won't get into what she "saw", but it was pretty horrific and was related to abortions.

This is a real girl who had a real experience. I don't know if this is wide spread, but I've seen it personally first hand -it was real for her, so if it is happening to more women than just her, that's really really sad... and it should be looked at.