The battle lines are being drawn, and so far, most pro-choice groups have played right into Newt's hands. The brouhaha began last November, when the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a study by epidemiologists at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center showing that for women under 45, induced abortion doubles breast cancer risk. Abortion raises that risk to about 2 per 100. Unfortunately, most pro-choice groups have focused on the study's potential bias and limitations. Such denials do a disservice to women and set pro-choice groups up as sitting ducks for GOP sharpshooters.
Women deserve the facts.
The findings were mixed. The risk increase appears much less significant than the risk of having a mother or sister with the disease. Pro-choice groups should not fall into the trap of defending abortion as absolutely safe. It may not be. For example, ERT may increase breast cancer risk, but it decreases risk of heart attack, making it a reasonable, in fact, potentially lifesaving choice for many women.