2008 Woodie Awards
Anti-abortion ad full of scientific misconceptions
Human Life Alliance placed an ad supplement in the Sept. 28 issue of The Journal, used breast cancer as a scare tactic
By: Kelley Atherton
Issue date: 10/5/06 Section: Opinion/Editorial
Stop the madness! Abortion. Murder. Breast cancer. Depression. Are you scared yet? Human Life Alliance wants you to be. A pro-life "advertisement" was inserted in the Sept. 28 through Oct. 4 edition of The Journal. Most of the "facts" in the supplement are false or misconstrued.
Presenting these fallacies as fact is dangerous. Having an abortion can drastically affect people's lives. Having a baby will change a woman's life forever.
The supplement was more like propaganda, a scare tactic for the conservative right and their political agenda. What is it advertising? Nothing, other than reasons not to have an abortion. This is not advertising; this is fear mongering. Every woman should know abortion and birth control pills do not cause breast cancer, and emergency contraception, such as Plan B, and birth control pills do not cause spontaneous abortions.
The supplement states 13 out of 15 studies show women who have had an abortion are at an increased risk for breast cancer. It goes on to say the National Cancer Institute funded most of these studies.
The NCI was established in 1937 under the National Cancer Act and is the Federal Government's principle agency for cancer research. However, the NCI says there is no increased risk of breast cancer from having an abortion.
According to an NCI fact sheet titled "Abortion, Miscarriage and Breast Cancer" on their Web site, in 2003 the NCI concluded from a workshop of more than 100 of the world's experts on pregnancy and breast cancer risk that "having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman's subsequent risk of developing breast cancer."
The ad supplement explains the increase of estrogen in the body from the pregnancy causes breast cells to multiply. According to the ad, "The early artificial termination of a pregnancy leaves excess numbers of these dangerous unspecialized cells in the woman's body." However the ad also states, "Miscarriage in the first trimester does not increase the risk of breast cancer."
Presenting these fallacies as fact is dangerous. Having an abortion can drastically affect people's lives. Having a baby will change a woman's life forever.
The supplement was more like propaganda, a scare tactic for the conservative right and their political agenda. What is it advertising? Nothing, other than reasons not to have an abortion. This is not advertising; this is fear mongering. Every woman should know abortion and birth control pills do not cause breast cancer, and emergency contraception, such as Plan B, and birth control pills do not cause spontaneous abortions.
The supplement states 13 out of 15 studies show women who have had an abortion are at an increased risk for breast cancer. It goes on to say the National Cancer Institute funded most of these studies.
The NCI was established in 1937 under the National Cancer Act and is the Federal Government's principle agency for cancer research. However, the NCI says there is no increased risk of breast cancer from having an abortion.
According to an NCI fact sheet titled "Abortion, Miscarriage and Breast Cancer" on their Web site, in 2003 the NCI concluded from a workshop of more than 100 of the world's experts on pregnancy and breast cancer risk that "having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman's subsequent risk of developing breast cancer."
The ad supplement explains the increase of estrogen in the body from the pregnancy causes breast cells to multiply. According to the ad, "The early artificial termination of a pregnancy leaves excess numbers of these dangerous unspecialized cells in the woman's body." However the ad also states, "Miscarriage in the first trimester does not increase the risk of breast cancer."
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