Abortion–The Woman’s “Right” (Pt. 2)

This is the second post in a series. To read the first post, click here. If you have any thoughts, questions, or disagreements, please voice them in the comments below, or contact me here.

Abortion is an invasive procedure which removes a human fetus from the mother’s womb, thus terminating the pregnancy and ending the fetus’ life. Most abortions take place before 32 weeks’ gestation; procedures before this stage of the fetus’ development increase the risk of developing breast cancer more than at any other stage of terminating a pregnancy does. Additionally, half of women who have an abortion admit they believe their pregnancy is a human life; those women must live with the ensuing guilt, remorse, loss, and depression of terminating said pregnancy.

The mental health risks of an abortion are likened by two psychotherapists to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); in fact, they have labeled it Post-Abortion Syndrome (PAS)—-more on this in a future post. If the quarter of American women who have had an abortion had these facts available to them when considering the procedure, the percentage of them following through would arguably have been significantly lower.

The mainstream medical community has generally ignored the association of abortion and the increased risk of developing breast cancer. In a 2013 piece, the American College of Pediatricians pointed out that the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute documented 57 of 73 worldwide studies do in fact show a strong link between abortion and breast cancer. In order to understand why, it is vital to know the anatomy and physiology of breast development; the American College of Pediatricians explains:

“The breast is composed of three primary tissues – fat, connective, and duct/glandular
tissue. The duct system can be compared to a tree with branches. When a female is born, she has a small number of prepubescent or Type 1 lobules that have only a rudimentary duct system –the tree trunk has very few branches. During puberty, young women will develop additional Type 1 lobules, and some of the lobules will mature to pubescent or Type 2 with a slight increase in the duct system – so the tree trunk has many more branches…At the end of puberty, a female’s breast will contain a mixture of approximately 75 percent Type 1 lobules and 25 percent Type 2 lobules. Type 1 and Type 2 lobules, because of their immaturity, are vulnerable to cancer.”

The piece further explains that within the first couple days of conceiving, the mother’s estrogen levels increase, resulting in the escalation of Type 1 and Type 2 lobules; by the end of her first trimester, her estrogen levels have surged by 2,000 percent. By 20 weeks’ gestation, the breast has doubled in size, primarily because of the increased number of lobules, and during the second phase of pregnancy, the cancer-vulnerable Type 1 and Type 2 lobules begin to mature into Type 4 lobules, capable of generating milk. After the 32nd week of pregnancy, enough cancer-resistant, Type 4 lobules have developed to help safeguard the mother against breast cancer. Carrying the pregnancy full term, 85 percent of the mother’s lobules are of the cancer renitent, more mature Type 4 lobules.

Type 1 and Type 2 lobules are the most susceptible to breast cancer; Type 1 is where 80 percent of all breast cancers are formed, and Type 2 around 15 percent. Planned Parenthood reports that “Suction abortion (also called vacuum aspiration) is the most common type of in clinic abortion…It’s usually used until about 14-16 weeks after your last period.”

Since it is not until after 32 weeks’ gestation that Type 1 and Type 2 lobules mature into the more cancer resistant Type 4 lobules, the surge in quantity of Type 1 and 2 lobules developed in the first two trimesters furnishes more areas for cancers to start, heightening risk.

If the most commonly used abortion is orchestrated at 12-13 weeks’ gestation–which is the end of the first trimester— the Type 1 and Type 2 lobules have been cut off from maturing into the cancer-resistant Type 4 lobules, thus left open and vulnerable for cancers to enter. Medically and scientifically, no doubt remains that abortion procedures are directly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Pt. 3 coming soon