As Breast Cancer Awareness month draws to a close, I would like to point out a few interesting links.
On one hand, we have Stop the Cover-up (AbortionBreastCancer.ca) stating that breast cancer has been shown to be linked to abortion.
However, there is a lot of opposition to that claim, notably from The Canadian Cancer Society among others. If you google these words you get a whole host of conflicting information.
Is this just more scaremongering or is there a deliberate agenda to squelch this information?
Well, I'll just throw it out there and get back to nursing my miserable cold.
16 comments:
Take it easy on the caffeine, CWTF.
CWTF: The fact that there are two opposing views -- where one is correct and one is incorrect -- is as good enough reason for discussion as any. Hence the reason for the links, wouldn't you say?
I mean, if you are going to discuss something, wouldn't you link to it?
I happen not to buy into the abortion-breast cancer link myself since there has been no proof to the matter. It doesn't mean I'm afraid to talk about it. Talk quantifies and clarifies. There is no danger in that.
What are you scared of to be in such a huff?
Thanks for the get-well wishes.
I thought I had done a fairly good job of presently both sides. This story was actually a tip from a reader, sent several days ago. Since I'm not an expert on the issue, I really have no idea what is the truth here. I'm not even sure that the medical profession knows.
If you read the "Biology" section of the cover-up link though it says,"It is well known that exposure to estrogen increases breast cancer risk."
That is something I've heard before, but too sick to go searching for links.
Back to the Earl Grey and Advil.
CWTF - You seem rather hostile to the concept of free speech and debate.
You have every right to shoot down this story, and you can even try to tell me what to post.
I have the right to ignore you, which is what I'll do here.
I can assure you that there is a debate going on in scientific literature over whether or not there is a link between abortion and breast cancer. I just finished perusing the literature, as well as a couple of medical textbooks, and the consensus seems to be something along the lines of 'there is no definitive proof as of yet, more research needs to be done.'
Here is some of the "junk science" and "pro-life propaganda" that I found:
From the Cochrane Library Review:
"Definitive conclusions about an association between breast cancer risk and spontaneous or induced abortion are not possible at present because of inconsistent findings across studies."
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Is there a link between breast cancer and abortion: a review of the literature. From International Journal of Fertility & Womens Medicine. 50(6):267-71, 2005 Nov-Dec. (emphasis added)
"The hormonal changes that take place in pregnancy cause breast tissue to proliferate and differentiate. Abortion interrupts this process and may leave the proliferated, undifferentiated breast tissue at higher risk of carcinogenesis. This review explains the supposed difference in effects of induced and spontaneous abortion upon the breast tissue and examines the literature for a link with breast cancer. Additional subcategories examined include parity, number of abortions, gestation, and maternal age at abortion. A comparison of retrospective and prospective studies is made and possible sources of bias are identified. There is no evidence to support a link between spontaneous abortion and breast cancer. Absence of a link with induced abortion is less clear, and further research should concentrate on investigating any relationship. We suggest that prospective research is used, with point of entry at first termination."
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Also cwtf, from the article that you had quoted from, the very next paragraph actually:
"The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Gynecologic Practice reviewed the available evidence as well and published its findings in August 2003. The committee concluded that "early studies of the relationship between prior induced abortion and breast cancer risk have been inconsistent and are difficult to interpret because of methodologic considerations. More rigorous recent studies argue against a causal relationship between induced abortion and a subsequent increase in breast cancer risk."
Thanks, Adam. That's awesome. Are you in the medical profession by any chance?
You got me Joanne! I am a medical student who is currently putting off studying. Keep up the good work with the blog; I enjoy reading it!
Quick summary of the thread thus far:
Joanne's Post: Is someone squelching the "truth" about a link between abortion and breast cancer?
CWTF: There's no proof of any link between abortion and breast cancer.
Joanne: Why do you hate free speech?
Adam: Look, these studys say that while there's no link, it needs to be studied more.
Joanne: Good point Adam! Are you pre-med?
CC, lol - good summary.
Maybe we should get Dr. Roy to chime in also...
I would suggest that cherniak take philosophy 201 Reason and arguementation at Laurier,available
through distance education. He will find that most of his first poist is totally invalid as a valid aarguement. If he is more ambitious he should take a course on experimental methedology (prerequesites probably required, although he might be able to audit a course without them.) If he does he will find the criticisms of the studies showing no increase in the rate of breast cancer after a first pregnancy abortion are valid.
Non labratory sciences are particularilly vulnerable to wrong results. Certain procedures have to be followed to have any hope of drawing a correct conclusion. Even if these rules are followed there is no guarantee that the conclusion will be right as some unconsidered variable can distort the result.
The case for the connection between abortion is not airtight either, but certainly is suggestive.
In your second post you claim having children increases breast cancer risk, however unless I am completely mistaken both sides of the arguement say that childbearing before age 30 decreases the risk, and the younger the pregnancy the larger the decrease.
Adam, thanks so much for your profession opinion. Please feel free to drop by and contribute anytime you need a study break! ;)
Vicki, you seem well-versed in this topic as well. Yes, this would be very bad news for the feminist movement if abortion were proven to have this kind of risk.
CWTF - I think the issue here is that you are jettsoning the whole concept as utterly absurd, while there is in fact no proof one way or the other yet.
You are trying to paint us as bigots for even considering this notion. I just love your kind of tolerance.
It seems that you are trying to grasp onto the flimsiest wishful thinking instead of the facts.
I am not wishing breast cancer on anyone.
CWTF - but stop presenting it as facts….
I don't think anyone here is attempting to present "facts". There are various studies going on, but nothing conclusive has been found one way or the other.
It seems that you'd like nothing more than be able to say that having an abortion increases the risk of breast cancer.
Did it ever occur to you that perhaps women considering an abortion should be made aware of this potential risk? Not as fear-mongering, but as a yet unproven possibility?
Vicki - Feel free to ignore CWTF. You're right. He detracts from the debate with his one-sided hysterics.
If cherniak calls rational logic and proper scientific methodology wingnuttery then it seems he must believe in such things as phrenology alchemistry the theory of humours and bloodletting. I'm wondering what his method of turning lead into gold is?
Joanne (True Blue) said...
Did it ever occur to you that perhaps women considering an abortion should be made aware of this potential risk? Not as fear-mongering, but as a yet unproven possibility?
Contradict yourself much? You're seriously stating that you want women seeking information on abortion to be made aware of "unproven possibilities"?
I'm sure that you would expect that same level of honesty from your doctor: "Thanks for coming in Joanne, before we do this I wanted to make you aware of all the unproven risks not yet associated with this procedure".
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