Abortion

Joel Brind, Ph.D., is a professor of Human Biology and endocrinology and Deputy Chair for Biology at BaruchCollege, CUNY, and co-founder of the Breast Cancer PreventionInstitute. He has been teaching since 1986, and researching the abortion/breast cancer (ABC) link since1992. He recently reported that within the past decade“ literally dozens of studies” have come out of Asia and the Mideast indicating “the linkage is obvious”. Dr. Brind cites the “now raging breast cancer epidemic in China following on the infamous ‘one-child policy’ instituted in 1980. The role of abortion there became clear in 2013 [with] HubeiHuang et al. publishing a systematic review and meta-analysis of no less than three dozen studies from mainlandChina alone.” In 1996, Brind and his colleagues “documented with[their] own review and meta-analysis, among world-wide studies at that time – a 30% increase in breast cancer risk among women with a history of any induced abortions… Literally millions of women are paying the price for what I have often described as a cover-up. All these results mean that the trade association of the people that perform abortions(associations such as the American College of ObGynsand the Royal College of ObGyns) has a major PR problem on their hands. Sure, you can recycle the old lies promulgated by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI)back in 2003, but the 14-year-old conclusions about allegedly‘safe abortion’ are a bit old and the ‘evidence’ almost laughably outdated.” Brind refers to the recent “fact sheet” distributed by the abortion advocacy group Abortion Law Reform AssociationNew Zealand as a “refurbished pack of lies”. The factsheet refers to NCI’s 2003 ‘workshop’ findings that “neither induced nor spontaneous abortions are linked to arise (sic) in breast cancer risk.” Brind states that he was one of the experts at the ‘workshop’ and that they “were not even permitted to examine the data during this charade of one-sided presentations.” Brind states that the NCI disburses grant money for most breast cancer research. Brindwrote a minority report contradicting the findings. One researcher who declined to collaborate on the minority report told Brind, “I have to live with these people every day; they have to sign off on my grants.” The NCI calls Brind’sreport a ‘minority dissenting comment’ on their website, but provides “no link to the text or even a mention of the author’s name.” (To access the report, go to bcpinstitute.org.)The first “fact” on the New Zealand fact sheet states, “Many studies with strong research designs conducted throughout the world with hundreds of thousands of women unanimously conclude that women who have had either spontaneous or induced abortions do not have a subsequent elevated risk for developing breast cancer.” Brind asks, “How many is many? They don’t say. Nor – most importantly– do they say what proportion of existing studies they are talking about. It is only to state the obvious that the absence of such basic data is very disturbing.” Brand then comments on the phrase “studies with strong research designs”. He notes that the phrase sounds “impressive, even meaningful, but it has no meaning whatsoever, because they don’t say whether they are good studies or bad.(Most of these ‘many’ are actually probably fraudulent, and [Brind has] published deconstructions of them many times in…peer-reviewed medical literature.” Brind then comments on the phrase that these studies ‘unanimously conclude’: “So, for example, say you have 100 studies. 20come to one conclusion (say, that there’s no link between abortion and breast cancer), and 80 of them come to the opposite conclusion (that there is a link between abortion and breast cancer). Well, in a sense the 20 studies can be called ‘many’, right? Taking the ‘many’ (20) studies (even though which in fact they comprise a small minority of the100 total studies), we can truthfully say that these ‘many’studies ‘unanimously conclude’ that there is no link…This should set a new world’s Olympic record in gymnastics – verbal gymnastics, that is! But real facts – like the fact that abortion does indeed raise a woman’s risk of breast cancer – are not subject to majority rule by organizations which engage in such deceptive marketing. Yes, they can be denied by a majority of health ministries, abortion associations, even voluntary anti-cancer charities (in reality, all the same cadre of politically correct population controllers), and you may arrive at any ‘consensus’ you like.Facts – real facts – are indeed stubborn things. The earth is round…and abortion increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer.” Iceland recently reported that they “are on the verge of eliminating Down Syndrome”. Fr. Shenan Boquet of Human Life International asks, “But how has Iceland achieved this seeming miracle of modern medicine? Peel back the cheerful headline, and one discovers a true Pandora’s box of horrors.” Fr. Boquet notes that prenatal testing for Down’s in Iceland is nearly universal and nearly 100% of the children diagnosed with Down’s are aborted. (Iceland has not eliminated Down’s, they have eliminated people with Down’s.) But Iceland is not alone. Some studies show that 9 out of every 10 children diagnosed with Down’s are aborted. “Many western countries like the US, France, and Denmark – Denmark claiming a 98% abortion rate for unborn children diagnosed with Down syndrome – are active participants in this atrocious act of discrimination.” Fr. Boquet continues, “As horrifying as a government- imposed eugenics program is, surely there is something equally horrifying in the fact that the eugenic mentality has penetrated so deeply into the public mindset that there is no longer any need for government intervention: so that barely a single mother or father can be found…left to fight the zeitgeist and unconditionally welcome their unborn child with Down’s for the mere fact that he or she is their baby, “imperfections” and all.” One study of those living with Down’s found that 99% of them are “happy” with their lives. Another study found that 99% of the parents of children with Down’s love their child, and 97% of them were “proud of them”. An Icelandic woman with Down’s stated, “They only see Down syndrome. They don’t see me. It doesn’t feel good. I want people to see that I am just like everybody else.”

SURGICAL ABORTIONS involve an invasive procedure: Vacuum Aspiration is done in the first trimester. A hollow plastic suction tube is inserted into the dilated cervix. The uterus is emptied by either a manual syringe or high-powered suction machine. The broken pieces of the child are pulled through the hose. Dilation and Suction Curettage (D & C) is similar to the vacuum aspiration, but generally used after 14 weeks. After the child is suctioned out of the uterus, the abortionist inserts a curette and cuts the placenta and umbilical cord into pieces and scrapes them out into a basin. The uterus is suctioned out to be sure no body parts have been left behind. Bleeding is usually profuse. Dilation and Extraction (D & E): The cervix must be dilated considerably farther than in 1st-trimester abortions. Forceps are used since the baby’s bones are calcified. The abortionist uses the forceps to grab the baby’s leg or other body part and with a twisting motion tears it from the body. The spine is snapped and the skull crushed. The body parts must be reassembled and counted to assure that the entire baby has been removed and nothing remains in the womb. Induction or Prostaglandin Abortion: Labor is induced using prostaglandin drugs, and the cervix is dilated. To ensure that the baby is dead upon delivery and to start uterine contractions, saline or urea is injected. To guarantee against a live birth, Digoxin or potassium chloride may be injected directly into the baby’s heart to kill the child before delivery. Other times the child may be delivered alive and left without medical intervention until the child dies. This method is used in the 2nd or 3rd trimester. Dilation and Extraction (D & X or partial-birth abortion): The mother undergoes 2 days of dilation. The abortionist performs an ultrasound to locate the child’s legs and feet. Forceps are used to pull the legs into a feet-down position. The abortionist uses his hands to deliver the child in a manner similar to a breech birth. The head remains inside the birth canal. Surgical scissors are used to pierce the child’s head at the base of the skull and forced open to enlarge the skull opening. A suction catheter is then used to remove the brain tissue. This machine is 29 times more powerful than a household vacuum. CHEMICAL/MEDICAL ABORTIONS involve the administration of drugs specifically intended to abort the child or drugs which, at least part of the time, may prevent implantation. Emergency Contraception (EC) – Plan B: EC contains synthetic (not naturally occurring) progesterone and is a large dose of the common birth control pill. It is designed to be taken within 72 hours after ‘unprotected sex’. EC works in 3 ways. It attempts to stop ovulation, stop fertilization by impeding the transportation of sperm to the egg, or stop implantation by altering (thinning) the lining of the endometrium so that the embryo cannot implant and receive nourishment from the mother. The first 2 methods are contraceptive, but if they fail, the third method causes an abortion, since it occurs after fertilization. Ulipristal Acetate (UPA) – ella is a selective progesterone receptor modulator (SPRM). SPRMs block the action of the hormone progesterone, which is necessary for ovulation and implantation and maintaining the lining of the uterus to support the embryo. Mifepristone (RU-486) is also an SPRM. ella is billed as an EC, even though it acts similar to RU-486. It is designed to be taken within 5 days of ‘unprotected sex’ and is thought to inhibit or delay ovulation in order to prevent fertilization. However, ovulation may have already occurred. ella can also alter the lining of the uterus, which will prevent an embryo from implanting, causing an abortion. RU-486 – Mifeprex (The Abortion Pill): Mifeprex blocks the action of progesterone, which is needed to maintain the lining of the uterus and provide oxygen and nutrients for the child. Mifeprex is used with Cytotec (misoprostol). Cytotec causes uterine bleeding, which can be profuse, strong contractions and expulsion of the child. A woman receives the Mifeprex pills on the first visit, returns 2 days later for the misoprostol, and a third visit is required to verify that the abortion is complete. The ‘failure’ rate of this method is 8% at 7 weeks, and up to 23% at 8 or 9 weeks. If the child survives this abortion attempt, there is a higher risk of mental and/or physical birth defects from the misoprostol. Hormonal Contraceptives: All hormonal contraceptives including the pill, mini pill, patch, vaginal ring, intrauterine device (IUD), or injection can work in one of 3 ways: prevent ovulation, prevent fertilization or prevent implantation. As stated earlier, the first 2 methods are contraceptive, but if they fail, the third method causes an abortion. Risks and side effects from abortion include breast cancer, post-abortion grief which may result in emotional and physical disturbances (including depression, insomnia, nervousness, guilt and regret, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicidal thoughts), complications in future pregnancies (including excessive bleeding, premature delivery, placenta previa, retention of the placenta, cervical damage and sterility), pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), uterine perforations, and tubal (ectopic) pregnancy. Risks from hormonal birth control include blood clots, ectopic pregnancy, bacterial infections, increased susceptibility to the AIDS virus and increased risk of cervical and breast cancer. Studies have also shown an increase in sexually transmitted infection rates since EC became widely available.

Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., NRL Director of Education & Research, commented in National Right to Life News Today on December 1st and 2nd on the latest CDC report. The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently released their abortion surveillance report for 2011. There was a significant drop in the number, rate and ratio of abortions in the US. (Note: the most populous state, California, as well as Maryland and New Hampshire did not submit data). The Guttmacher Institute (a nonprofit research organization that supports abortion) issued a report earlier this year that also showed a notable drop in the number of abortions. The CDC reported 730,322 abortions for 2011. The Guttmacher Institute reported 1,058,470 for the same year. The Guttmacher Institute surveys abortion facilities directly. The CDC relies on state health reports. This explains the higher number reported by Guttmacher. Therefore, Guttmacher’s numbers are viewed as more accurate. However, Guttmacher only issues reports every few years. The CDC reports annually, and tracks the same variables most years. The 2011 total is the lowest number of abortions reported by the CDC since California, New Hampshire and at least one other state were dropped in 1998. The abortion rate of 13.9 (number of abortions per 1000 women ages 15-44) is the lowest recorded rate since 1973. The abortion ratio (number of abortions for every 1000 live births) was 359 in 1980. The abortion ratio for 2011 was 219 – quite a significant drop. Women aged 29 and younger had 71.7% of the reported abortions in the 2011 CDC report. 32.9% of these were women aged 20-24. Overall, teens accounted for 13.9% of all abortions in 2011. In 1980, teens accounted for 29.2% of all abortions. The abortion rate for women 30-34 did not drop as significantly, and the abortion rate for women 35-39 went up 1.4% and for women 40 and over there was a 7.7% increase. O’Bannon questions whether this could reflect a generational attitude difference (younger women more pro-life) or the result of more pre-natal genetic testing which results in abortion after a negative diagnosis. More abortions were done at less than 8 weeks gestation in 2011 (64.5%) than in 1973 (36.1%). More than 1/3 of all abortions are now done at 6 weeks or less. O’Bannon notes the significant increase in the use of chemical abortion methods. However, most abortions (79.4%) still fall under “curettage” which includes manual vacuum aspiration, suction aspiration, D&E (dilation and evacuation) and other surgical methods. Abortions at 14 weeks gestation or more accounted for 8.7% of all abortions. 7,325 were done at 21 weeks or more. The Wednesday STOPP report of December 3, 2014 issued by Stop Planned Parenthood noted that the CDC report showed that abortion ratios throughout the entire period were highest among girls under the age of 15, and that abortion ratios decreased from 2002 to 2011 for women in all age groups except those under 15. The STOPP report noted that a Planned Parenthood fact sheet acknowledges that adolescents are more likely to have an abortion at 21 weeks gestation or later. Most abortions (85.5%) involve unmarried women. 46.4% of all abortions were repeat abortions with 25.5% having one previous abortion, 11.6% having 2 and 9.3% reporting 3 or more previous abortions. 60% of all women reported having had at least one previous live birth. 19.6% had at least 2 children and 13.9% had 3 or more. O’Bannon notes that this indicates a need to address the needs of the young, single mom as well as the high school teenager. Race and ethnicity are more difficult to report, since the states track this information differently or not at all. However, O’Bannon reports that abortion rates for Hispanics dropped more than those for non-Hispanics, and that although African Americans make up 14.2% of the US population, African American women accounted for 36-38% of all abortions in the US in 2011. Abortion rates for African Americans did go down over the past 10 years, but are still much higher than other groups. The black abortion rate is 25.8 versus 7.8 for white. The black abortion ratio is 381 abortions for every 1000 live births and 126 abortions for whites. O’Bannon states that these numbers indicate a need to increase the pro-life outreach to minority communities. Dr. O’Bannon notes that although the number of abortions has dropped significantly over the past 20 years, women are still dying from abortion. 10 women are known to have died in 2010 (CDC abortion mortality figures are always behind by one year). For 11 years, 6 or more women have died from abortions. He notes that the risk of death from abortion figures reported by the CDC for the past decade are actually higher than it was for the previous one. He acknowledges that we have made progress, but there are still many ways for us to save unborn babies and their mothers.