More evidence for link between abortion, breast cancer

A report from researchers at Georgia Regents University has provided further evidence suggesting a link between breast cancer and abortion.

The study, released April 24, considers the link between genes and breast cancer development. Researchers found that a gene that affects breast development during pregnancy, DNMT1, also produces cells that can be pre-cancerous. But DNMT1 regulates another gene that may suppress tumor development.

While the research provides insight into breast cancer treatment, the researchers also noted a link between breast tissue development during pregnancy and cancer that can be exacerbated by abortion.

When a woman’s pregnancy ends early, the immature breast cells are more likely to become cancerous than mature cells, said the study’s lead author Rajneesh Pathania. Though the link isn’t a new revelation, “the interview reveals that researchers know and acknowledge the link,” said Donna Harrison, executive director of the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

But the most recent statement from the American Cancer Society discredits any link between breast cancer and abortion: “At this time, the scientific evidence does not support the notion that abortion of any kind raises the risk of breast cancer or any other type of cancer.” The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Great Britain has also discredited the link.

Philippa Taylor, head of public policy for the Christian Medical Fellowship in the United Kingdom, said in a recent op-ed that the link is close enough that women deserve to be informed.

“I wonder how many women with an unwanted pregnancy would like to be informed that abortion is a known risk factor for breast cancer? Even though this is not yet universally accepted, every woman considering abortion surely has a right to know there is ongoing debate on this issue,” she wrote.

She added that another Chinese meta-analysis also indicated a significant link between abortion and breast cancer. Conducted last year, the study reported abortion increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer by 44 percent.

Christian Medical Fellowship has produced a pamphlet that provides information on potential medical consequences associated with abortion, including breast cancer.

“An informed choice is only truly possible if women have all the information on all the choices before them,” Taylor wrote.