National Physicians Center 
Affirms Abortion-Breast Cancer Link

September 19, 2002—Chicago, IL: The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer reported today that the National Physicians Center for Family Resources has released a CD in which increased breast cancer risk is cited as a long-term medical complication resulting from abortion. The CD is intended to be a resource for parents and health educators to assist them in answering children's questions about puberty, reproduction and sexual health. It says:

"During a normal pregnancy, the female's body produces high levels of the hormone estrogen. This causes the milk producing glands in the breast tissue to become active, a process that is completed during the third trimester of pregnancy. When this change is complete, it helps protect against breast cancer. Elective abortion interrupts these changes in the breast tissue, which makes the cells more likely to become cancerous. Miscarriages generally do not result in a higher breast cancer risk because most pregnancies that miscarry do not produce very high amounts of estrogen."

The National Physicians Center joins other medical organizations in recognizing the weight of the evidence.

Jane Orient, M.D., executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, a 40 year old patients' advocacy group which prides itself on its scientific integrity, said that the elevated risk is "substantial, particularly in women who abort their first pregnancy at a young age and who have a family history of breast cancer."

The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists released its paper evaluating the research earlier this year and said, "Informed consent should be informed. Women deserve the correct information. The evidence (of a link) is strong."