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FIRST-PERSON – Abortion: a poor medical ‘choice,’ — and Planned Parenthood knows it

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McMINNVILLE, Ore. (BP)–It “didn’t happen,” she insisted. “Didn’t happen?” I questioned. “What do you mean it didn’t happen? We all watched it on television; of course it happened.” She replied, “Hollywood, it all happened in Hollywood.”

The conversation described in the previous paragraph took place in July 1969. The two participants were yours truly and my great-aunt, Thelma. The topic of discussion was the first lunar landing.

Try as I might, I was never able to convince Aunt Thelma that men had actually stepped foot on the surface of the moon. No amount of factual information could sway her; she simply refused to acknowledge reality.

My aunt’s rejection of overwhelming evidence did not affect our relationship. As time went on, I rarely broached the subject. I accepted the fact that she was simply choosing to resist the modern world. “After all,” I reasoned, “her belief — or lack thereof — affected no one but herself.” If, however, my aunt’s rejection of truth had placed other people’s lives in jeopardy, I doubt if I ever would have stopped trying to convince her of her error.

Those who support a woman’s right to take the life of an unborn child are repeating the folly of my Aunt Thelma. Abortion advocates continue to deny mounting evidence that abortion is a poor medical “choice.”

A recent World Net Daily report indicated that “27 out of 35 studies since 1957 have linked abortion with breast cancer.” In another report, Dr. Joel Brind, an endocrinologist at Baruch College of the City University of New York, stated, “Out of 37 independently published studies (linking abortion and breast cancer risk), 28 show a causal connection. And of those, 17 provided positive associations … suggesting a 95 percent certainty that this association is not due to chance.”

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Even though more than 75 percent of medical studies, conducted over a 40-year period, indicate an increased risk of cancer for women undergoing forced abortion, Planned Parenthood — an abortion rights leader — refuses to acknowledge the danger. In fact, Planned Parenthood does not even apprise those seeking their services of the possible link between abortion and breast cancer. If they are as “pro-choice” as they claim, would it not be prudent to provide this information and let women “choose” whether or not abortion is a wise medical decision?

Rather than highlight any risks associated with abortion, Planned Parenthood, in both print material and on its website, makes the claim that childbirth “carries seven times more risk” than a surgically abortive procedure. The message is clear: If you have an unplanned/unwanted pregnancy, why complicate things by carrying the baby to term? The safe decision is to abort it! One could even argue that if Planned Parenthood is correct, and giving birth is such a dangerous proposal, why would any woman ever decide to carry a baby to term?

A lawsuit has been filed in San Diego which, if successful, will force Planned Parenthood to provide its clients with the evidence linking abortions to an increased risk of breast cancer. One can hope and pray that common sense and logic will prevail in this case. The countless lives of women, as well as children, hang in the balance.

My aunt’s motive for rejecting the truth of the lunar landing was innocent and affected no one but herself. The same cannot be said of those who support abortion. Given the medical evidence linking breast cancer and abortion, Planned Parenthood’s “choice” to ignore truth must be questioned.
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Boggs’ column appears each Friday in Baptist Press. He is pastor of Valley Baptist Church, McMinnville, Ore.