Lying for the Truth

Antiabortion advocates jumped on the suggestion that abortions cause breast cancer. For example, an entire web site is devoted to this religious cause, www.abortionbreastcancer.com. Another example is The Abortion Breast Cancer Cover-up Susan B Komen, "Race for the Cure" which is full of quotes from the bible and religious statements claiming a relationship. It is by Angela Michael and dated June 18, 2005.

Is breast cancer caused by abortion? This is a straight forward scientific question.

To determine the current scientific understanding of the issue, I looked to the vast collection of biomedical abstracts at PubMed. I searched for

abortion "breast cancer"

and found

J Epidemiol Community Health. 2005 Apr;59(4):283-7. Risk of breast cancer after miscarriage or induced abortion: a Scottish record linkage case-control study. Brewster DH, Stockton DL, Dobbie R, Bull D, Beral V.

The link provided gives the original scientific paper. The date of publication was April of 2005. Their conclusion was:

CONCLUSION: These data do not support the hypothesis that miscarriage or induced abortion represent substantive risk factors for the future development of breast cancer.

To confirm this, I looked to the National Cancer Institute of the U.S. Nationa Institutes of Health. This organization has top world scientific experts on cancer and they are making fantastic progress at detecting and curing cancers. If there is a linkage they would know, and be studying it intensely. At that web site I searched for 'abortion' and found the fact sheet Abortion, Miscarriage, and Breast Cancer Risk which states

In February 2003, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) convened a workshop of over 100 of the world's leading experts who study pregnancy and breast cancer risk. Workshop participants reviewed existing population-based, clinical, and animal studies on the relationship between pregnancy and breast cancer risk, including studies of induced and spontaneous abortions. They concluded that having an abortion or miscarriage does not increase a woman's subsequent risk of developing breast cancer.

So the scientific case appears quite clear - abortions do not cause breast cancer.

One is given to believe that religious people are ethical and that they are on an intense search for the ultimate truth. The following quote from the Center for Reproductive Rights:

A stark black and white billboard looms over Interstate 95 near Philadelphia, thrust on motorists by Family Life Education Foundation and boldly displaying the provocative message: "abortion increases breast cancer risk." In 1996, similar messages were posted on subways, buses and trains in metropolitan Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia by a group called Christ's Bride Ministries (CBM). Matthew Staver, legal counsel for CBM and other conservative religious groups, has defended this anti-choice chicanery by saying, "I don't think the First Amendment depends on truth. I think you can say things that are wrong." It appears he is right on that count.

The science has come down on the side that their statement was wrong. But nothing can ever excuse a lie for 'Truth'.

It is irresponsible for religious groups (or anyone else) to continue to propagate this idea in support of a religious agenda.

It is unethical to lie for the "Truth".

How is it possible that modern religions lie?