Abortion 'Debate' terminated by the 'Q'-Word 
                         (Brent Rooney)
 
   In 1985 most Americans believed that the 'cold war' would likely
last for many decades.  Four  years  later the Berlin Wall 'fell' and 
in 1991 the USSR ceased to exist.  Similarly, most Americans believe
that the abortion 'debate' will continue for many decades, but with
the procedure remaining 'legal'.  Are these Americans going to see the
fall of the 'Berlin Wall of abortion'?  Dr. Samuel S. Epstein (U. 
of Illinois) is a  world  renowned cancer  expert, a liberal and 
'pro-choice' on elective abortion.  In a 1997 book Dr. Epstein wrote
that a 25 year-old woman who undergoes an induced abortion  boosts
her relative breast cancer risk by about 33%. (The Breast Cancer
Prevention Program, pp. 36-37)

Perhaps, there are compensating short term benefits for 'choice'
   There is no argument among breast cancer researchers that childless
young pregnant women elevate their breast cancer risk by resorting to
elective abortion.  If there was a very strong compensating short 
term health benefit of elective abortion, then the procedure might
be justified.  A lower death risk over the 12 months following the
procedure might compensate for a higher long term breast cancer risk.
However, there is no significant medical study that looked at all (!)
causes of death (including accidents and suicides) that found that
women who had elective abortions had a lower mortality risk than
women  who delivered  in the  12 months  after.  In 1997 the most 
respected Scandinavian medical journal in the field of  obstetrics
and gynecology reported the results of a study of Finnish women:
those who selected induced abortion had a 250% higher (!) relative
risk of  death in the  12 months  after vs women who  delivered.
Aborting women had four (4) times the risk of dying via an accident
and over six (6) times the risk of dying via suicide. Women who
exercised 'choice' also had an astounding fourteen (!) times the
risk of being killed via homicide.  Thus, instead of short term
health benefits compensating for the longer term harm of abortion,
there is an exaccerbation of harm!  "Short term pain for long
term agony".

Bottom Line
   Long term and short term elective induced abortion is a
"Waterloo for Women".  In both the U.S. and Canada a medical
doctor is legally proscribed from performing a procedure not
in a patient's best interests.  Since when are increased risks 
of breast cancer, suicide, homicide, mortality, and future 
preterm delivery in a woman's bests interests?  And this for a 
predominantly elective procedure!

The 'Q'-word
   Abortion supporters and many consent forms claim that
elective induced abortion has a lower (!) mortality risk than
delivery.  What is a quack?  According to the dictionary, a
quack is one who claims skill or knowledge which he/she does
not possess.  Thus, the claim of lower mortality risk, when
the death risk is actually higher, qualifies elective abortion
as quackery; in fact, elective abortion is dangerous medical 
quackery!  Another Q-Word is 'Quisling'.  In World War II
a Norwegian politician, Vidkun Quisling, was a politician who
collaborated with the Nazis; thus, 'Quisling' became synonymous
with traitor. Women pushing "a woman's right to choose [dangerous
medical quackery]"  are  the 'Quislings' of their gender and
gereration.

It gets worse
   Premature birth is the leading cause of infant disease and
death in the U.S.  In the June 2001 issue of a prominent European
medical journal I identified seventeen (17) studies reporting that
prior induced abortions significantly increase a woman's risk of
a future preterm birth.  There are zero studies reporting that 
induced abortions reduce preterm birth risk. Professor Barbara 
Luke (U. of Michigan) in her classic book wrote, "If you have 
had one or more induced  abortions,  your  risk of prematurity 
with  this  pregnancy  increases  by  about  30  percent." 
(Every Pregnant Woman's Guide to Preventing Premature Birth, 
1995)  Luke's 30 percent risk estimate is likely an underestimate.
A 1999 study of Danish women found that prior induced abortions
boosted prematurity risk by a relative 89%; and for women with
two prior evacuation abortions (the unborn, beyond the first
trimester, is sliced up and removed from mom), the increased 
preterm  risk  was  an  amazing  1155%. My current count 
of studies reporting that prior induced abortions
significantly elevate the risk of prematurity or low birth weight
is thirty-three (33).  Since the number of significant studies
finding the reverse (i.e. lowered risk) is zero, the evidence 
is absolutely lopsided that induced abortions boost prematurity
risk.  Currently about eleven percent of U.S. births occur
before 37 weeks' gestation, the cut-off point designation of a 
preterm birth.  Preterm infants have higher risks of asthma, 
deafness, blindness, low IQ, death, cerebral palsy etc. An
extremely preterm newborn (with a birth weight under 3 pounds
5 ounces) has 38 times the cerebral palsy risk as the general
newborn population.

Why the preterm birth risk?
    A man who delivered many babies, Dr. F.J. Borzilleri, provides
the answer:
 "The cervix, the opening at the mouth (entrance) of the womb, is 
 often traumatized during an abortion.  The instruments used to dilate  
 the cervix for the purpose of an abortion, often cause permanent 
 damage.  The muscles are forcibly stretched, which causes a 
 weakening and at times tears occur with the formation of scar tissue.  
 Intrauterine adhesions are another complication of an abortion, brought 
 on by the scraping instruments, to make sure all parts of the unborn 
 are removed.  Is it any wonder that subsequent pregnancies, in women 
 who have had  abortions, often CANNOT be maintained for 37 weeks?
 (For most newborn the optimum gestation length is between 38 and 41
 weeks) Surgical abortion is a 'blind' procedure;  i.e. when the 
 abortionist is scraping the uterus, he literally can not see what 
 he is doing  but relies upon feel. Would males allow blind folded 
 dentists to work on their teeth?"
For more information on the prematurity risk of 'choice', visit:
www.vcn.bc.ca/~whatsup   

Informed Medical Consent?
   When young pregnant seventeen year-old 'Alice' visits an abortion
clinic, is she informed of all the serious risks of this elective 
procedure? Many of the lay public believe that women consent to all 
the risks they incur (breast cancer, suicide, death, future preterm 
births etc.).  Since none of these risks (and many others) are listed 
on consent forms, there is not proper informed medical consent at 
abortion clinics.  Abortion clinics prey on the ignorance of their
young (and not so young) clients.  'Alice' is being 'thrown to the
wolves'.

Conclusion

   Abortion, an elective medical procedure claimed to be 
'therapeutic', boosts the risks of suicide, breast cancer,
fatal accidents, homicide, and future preterm births.  Clearly,
this elective procedure is dangerous medical quackery.  Among
knowledgeable medical professionals who truly care about the health
of women, the abortion 'debate' is over, 'terminated' by the
'Q'-word.  Let those who support abortion quackery explain 
their mean spiritness towards half the population.  Let's provide
healthy choices for women, furthering the dictum of the Father
of Medicine (Hippocrates): "First, do no harm".