Quick Pro-Life News Bites

e) Materials that inform the pregnant woman that there is a direct link between abortion and breast cancer. It is scientifically undisputed that full-term pregnancy reduces a woman’s lifetime risk of breast cancer. It is also undisputed that the earlier a woman has a first full-term pregnancy, the lower her risk of breast cancer becomes, because following a full-term pregnancy the breast tissue exposed to estrogen through the menstrual cycle is more mature and cancer resistant. In fact, for each year that a woman’s first full-term pregnancy is delayed, her risk of breast cancer rises 3.5 percent. The theory that there is a direct link between abortion and breast cancer builds upon this undisputed foundation. During the first and second trimesters of pregnancy the breasts develop merely by duplicating immature tissues. Once a woman passes the thirty-second week of pregnancy (third trimester), the immature cells develop into mature cancer resistant cells. When an abortion ends a normal pregnancy, the woman is left with more immature breast tissue than she had before she was pregnant. In short, the amount of immature breast tissue is increased and this tissue is exposed to significantly greater amounts of estrogen—a known cause of breast cancer. Women facing an abortion decision have a right to know that such medical data exists. At the very least, women must be informed that it is undisputed that pregnancy provides a protective effect against the later development of breast cancer.

Abortion is illegal in Argentina. As interpreted, in addition to cases of mental incapacity, the law only permitted abortions in some instances in which the mother’s life was at risk.

The original case involved a 15-year-old girl who became pregnant after being raped by her stepfather. A lower court ruled in March 2010 that an abortion was permissible in cases of rape, but that decision was appealed to the nation’s highest court.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court clarified that Argentina’s Constitution and human rights treaties would not allow such a prohibition in cases of rape.

“On the contrary, they forbid punishing all victims of rape in accordance to the principles of equality, personal dignity, and legality,” the country’s center for judicial information reported.

The ruling also specified that judicial authorization is not needed before performing an abortion. The only necessary declaration is the patient’s statement that she was raped, the court ruled.

Despite the country’s tough anti-abortion laws, the health ministry estimates that some 460,000 abortions are performed each year in Argentina. The ministry estimated that about 100 women die each year because the procedures were not carried out with the required medical expertise.