Download Abortion Breast Cancer Link

Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Introduction
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
In this talk every time I use the word
"abortion" I mean induced abortion.
In medical literature often the word
abortion is also used for miscarriage,
i.e. spontaneous abortion
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Abortion is not the main
cause of breast cancer, and I want
to apologise in advance to all those
who have suffered from breast
cancer or whose relatives have
suffered or died from breast cancer.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
I do not mean to imply that any of
these women have had abortions.
However, abortion is a risk factor
for breast cancer
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
• Breast Cancer is the major cause of death
for women of reproductive age in Georgia
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
The statistical evidence
The link between abortion and breast cancer is not
new or invented by pro-lifers. Japan legalised
abortion in 1948. In 1957 a study
by Segi et al and in 1968 by
Watanabe & Hirayama showed
an increased incidence of breast
cancer in women who had abortions.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
This diagram shows the studies
up to 2000. As you can see
most show increased risk.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
One that showed zero risk
was a Danish study by
Melbye in which he counted
breast cancer cases for 5
years before counting the
Abortions which is not valid.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
One cannot count incidence
of a disease for years before
counting the cause - this makes
no sense and you get an invalid
result.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Since Segi's study in 1957 there
have been another 57 studies
showing an increased incidence of
breast cancer in women who
have had abortions.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
The most recent are from China,
India and Bangladesh, countries
which traditionally had
a low incidence of breast cancer.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
There have also been 16 studies
which showed no increased risk,
but most of these were flawed
because they combined miscarriages
with abortions, or were flawed
in the data that was included or
excluded, like the Danish study,
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
In 1970 the World Health Organisation
published the results of its study
on the reproductive experience
of 17,000 women on 4 continents
in relation to the incidence of breast
cancer. The major conclusion is
undisputed today, 44 years later:
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Women who begin bearing children
at a young age are less likely to get
breast cancer than those who have
children later, or those who
have no children at all. Being
childless is a risk factor for
breast cancer.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
In regard to abortion, the WHO
scientists said their results
"suggested increased risk associated
with abortion - contrary to the
reduction in risk associated with
full-term births".
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
This latter suggestion is
what is disputed by the major
cancer organizations, the
National Cancer Institute (NCI) in
the US and the Cancer Councils
in Australia. It is also disputed
by the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)
in the UK.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
The NCI in the US is dominated
by researchers who are
committed to abortion as a woman's
right, while the RCOG and similar
bodies have members who have a
financial conflict of interest.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Biological Data
Well why does a full-term pregnancy
offer protection while an abortion
increases risk? For this we need to
look at the physiology of the breast.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
At birth breast cells are immature
and make up Type l lobules which are
susceptible to carcinogens. These
Type l lobules develop into type 2 lobules
at puberty. These are still primitive and
susceptible to carcinogens.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
These type l and 2 lobules proliferate
during early pregnancy so the woman
has more cells vulnerable to cancer.
This is why if the pregnancy is
interrupted by an abortion, she is left
at greater risk of breast cancer.
Another picture of primitive
immature lobules and mature
breast lobules
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
During the 3rd trimester of pregnancy
i.e. after 32 weeks, the breast lobules
mature into type 3 lobules. Type 4
are formed after childbirth and produce
milk. By comparison with types 1 and 2
lobules, both types 3 and type 4 lobules
are less vulnerable to developing cancer.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
"Estrogen" which includes a
whole clase of steroids, is the
hormone-like chemical
messenger which changes a
girl's body into a woman's
body at puberty. Estradiol
is the crucial hormone.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Estrogen is mainly made in the ovaries
before menopause and in fat (adipose)
tissue after the menopause.
Estrogen is recognised as a carcinogen for
certain types of cancer including
breast cancer.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Estrogen stimulates breast tissue to
increase cell division (mitosis). This
sometimes results in cancers due to
errors in cell division (mutations).
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
The more menstrual cycles breasts are
exposed to over a lifetime, the
higher the risk of breast cancer.
During each monthly cycle a
woman is exposed to increased
estrogen levels at the preovulation peak.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Both early age of puberty and late
menopause increases breast cancer
risk because of more menstrual
cycles, ie. increased exposure
to estrogen.
Similarly, surgically removing the ovaries
before natural menopause decreases
breast cancer risk.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
In most miscarriages which typically
occur during the first trimester of
pregnancy, the estradiol levels do
not rise even to the level of the
ovulatory peak, i.e. insufficient
to maintain the pregnancy.
Blood Estradiol Levels
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
This is why most miscarriages
do not increase breast cancer
risk. However, second-trimester
miscarriages, or miscarriages
due to an accident or blow to
the abdomen will increase
breast cancer risk because the
rise in estradiol was normal.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Premature delivery before
32 weeks can also increase
breast cancer risk because
the breast cells have not
matured into types 3 and 4.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
If a woman does not have a
full-term pregnancy prior to
age 35 or remains childless
she has been exposed to many
cycles of increased estradiol
levels which have increased
cell division of immature breast cells.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
A full-term pregnancy and
breast feeding converts these
immature cells into mature,
cancer-resistant types 3 and 4 lobules.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Breast-feeding also reduces
the number of ovulatory cycles
and the exposure to estrogen.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
This is why abortion raises
breast cancer risk - the early
pregnancy and high estrogen
levels have stimulated the
breasts to result in more
mitosis, i.e. cell division
of the immature cells.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
The abortion prevents these
cells from developing into
mature, cancer-resistant
cells. The risk is especially
high for teenagers and for
childless women since
their breast cells have
not matured.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
A teenager who has an abortion
between 9 and 24 weeks has a
30% chance of developing
breast cancer.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
If that teenager also has a
family history of breast cancer
her risk appears even higher.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
An Australian study by Rohan
et al on South Australia showed
that abortion appeared a more powerful risk
risk factor for breast cancer than some of
the other recognised risk factors.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Australian women were never
informed of this study, it only
surfaced in a meta-analysis by
a French researcher 7 years
later.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Birth control pills increase the
risk if they are taken before a full-term
pregnancy.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
The longer they took the pills,
the greater the risk. Even
"low dose" estrogen pills have
been associated with higher
breast cancer risk.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
I think there is a warning on
pill packets about increased
breast cancer risk.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
What are we to make then
of the Royal College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in the UK denying
practising certificates to
doctors who won't prescribe
contraceptives?
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Hormone replacement therapy
increases breast cancer risk and
the longer the woman uses
HRT the greater her risk.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
One potent synthetic estrogen,
known as DES has been found
to increase risk in mothers and
possibly their daughters - when
taken during pregnancy.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Even risk factors not related
to reproduction act via an
estrogen-mediated mechanism
Post menopausal obesity
increases risk because
adipose, i.e. fat cells synthesize
estrogen.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Interestingly, pre-menopausal
obesity causes hormonal
changes which decrease estrogen
production by the ovaries and
can even result in infertility.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Therefore pre-menopausal obesity does not
increase breast cancer risk but is not
desirable for other health reasons.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Other risk factors include
regular intake of alcohol
which decreases the body's
ability to change estrogen
into its inactive form and
thereby increases risk.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Jose & Irma Russo in a
landmark 1980 experiment
found that 77% of laboratory
rats whose first pregnancy
was surgically aborted developed
breast cancer after exposure to
a carcinogen.
Incidence of Adenocarcomas in DMBA
– Treated Sprague-Dawley Rats
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
None of the control group
identically exposed to the
carcinogen whose pregnancy
was carried to term developed
breast cancer.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Every week especially around October you
will see many pictures and articles about
raising funds for breast cancer research
and treatment, but little about prevention.
Prevention is better than cure.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Abortion is an avoidable risk factor
- we cannot eliminate other factors such as
age, family history and height
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
In reducing your risk of
breast cancer, your baby
is your best friend. The
earlier you have a baby,
the less your risk.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
The more babies you have
the lower your risk.
The longer you breastfeed,
the lower your risk.
So cherish your babies all of them.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
• This is one of my daughters when she was
a baby. Can you imagine wanting to kill
babies like this?
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
• This is an Indian woman breast feeding
her baby. In India many women take their
infants with them when they are working in
the fields. The incidence of breast cancer
in India was very low until the population
control and abortion industries became
active.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
• This painting by Mary Cassat is in the Art
Institute, Chicago. The baby is feeding,
making eye contact with her mother and
caressing her mother’s face all at once.
This is great for the mental development of
babies and different to bottle-fed babies
where the baby looks away from the
mother towards the bottle.
Abortion Breast Cancer Link
• Your best ally in lowering the risk of breast
cancer is your baby. So cherish all your
babies.