Changes

The average age of diagnosis of breast cancer in America is 61 years old.<ref>http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20050922/fewer-american-women-dying-of-breast-cancer</ref>  But the average age of participants in this study who had an abortion was only 42 years old,<ref>Michels K. Induced and Spontaneous Abortion and Incidence of Breast Cancer Among Young Women. Arch. Inter. Med. 2007;167:816 (Table 1).</ref> too young for the average person to develop breast cancer. This age disparity is analogous to an attempt to draw conclusions about heart disease by studying teenagers.  

The average age of diagnosis of breast cancer in America is 61 years old.<ref>http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20050922/fewer-american-women-dying-of-breast-cancer</ref>  But the average age of participants in this study who had an abortion was only 42 years old,<ref>Michels K. Induced and Spontaneous Abortion and Incidence of Breast Cancer Among Young Women. Arch. Inter. Med. 2007;167:816 (Table 1).</ref> too young for the average person to develop breast cancer. This age disparity is analogous to an attempt to draw conclusions about heart disease by studying teenagers.  

However, the authors of the Harvard study asserted that earlier studies that reported that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer had been carried out "largely" on premenopausal women.<ref>''Id.'' p. 820.</ref> Moreover, as the study is described as ''ongoing'' and ''longitudinal'', conclusions reached in the future will have a clearer scientific basis than retrospective studies, as if a group of teenage smokers were followed through to old age to clarify and substantiate the connection between smoking and heart disease. So far, according to the authors of the report, no connection between abortion and breast cancer is evident, but future changes will be reported.

However, the authors of the Harvard study asserted that earlier studies that reported that abortion increases the risk of breast cancer had been carried out "largely" on premenopausal women.<ref>''Id.'' p. 820.</ref> This study is ''ongoing'' or ''longitudinal'' rather than retrospective, because young persons are monitored before they develop health problems rather than studying them after they develop health problems. There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of studies.

The research report concealed how almost none of the subjects of the study were African American or Hispanic,<ref>The study stated that the subjects were 92% non-Hispanic white; many of the remaining 8% must have been Filipino and other Asian groups, but the racial make-up of this group was not provided. For example, 15 percent of the registered nurses in San Diego are Asian or Filipino or other Pacific Islanders.[http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=37f00e50cb995f794d89f677f3c3c05e] More importantly, the researchers conceal the lack of African Americans and Hispanics, merely admitting that "The nurses in our cohort may not be representative of the social classes most likely to use abortion services."  (p. 820).</ref> The press did not report the lack of African Americans and Hispanics in the study.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Abortion-Cancer.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin</ref><ref>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070423185607.htm</ref>

The research report concealed how almost none of the subjects of the study were African American or Hispanic,<ref>The study stated that the subjects were 92% non-Hispanic white; many of the remaining 8% must have been Filipino and other Asian groups, but the racial make-up of this group was not provided. For example, 15 percent of the registered nurses in San Diego are Asian or Filipino or other Pacific Islanders.[http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=37f00e50cb995f794d89f677f3c3c05e] More importantly, the researchers conceal the lack of African Americans and Hispanics, merely admitting that "The nurses in our cohort may not be representative of the social classes most likely to use abortion services."  (p. 820).</ref> Because the researchers concealed this information, the press did not report the lack of African Americans and Hispanics in the study.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Abortion-Cancer.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin</ref><ref>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070423185607.htm</ref>

The research data show that '''abortion causes a sharp increase in the deadly progesterone receptor-negative (PR-) breast cancer'''.  "Among [[parous]] women [the overwhelming majority of the study], the [hazard ratios] HRs were 1.58 (95% CI, 1.13-2.20) for PR- breast cancer and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.60-1.05) for PR+ breast cancer (P for heterogeneity = 0.002) among women with induced abortion."<ref>Study, p. 817.</ref>  In non-statistical language, this means that the women in the study who had children (parous) were 58% more likely to get progesterone negative breast cancer if they ever had an abortion, and the same women were somewhat less likely to get progesterone positive breast cancer. Among the study group there were 442 breast cancer cases among women who ever had an abortion. 59 (13%) were progresterone negative and 92 (21%) were progesterone positive.

The research data show that '''abortion causes a sharp increase in the deadly progesterone receptor-negative (PR-) breast cancer'''.  "Among [[parous]] women [the overwhelming majority of the study], the [hazard ratios] HRs were 1.58 (95% CI, 1.13-2.20) for PR- breast cancer and 0.80 (95% CI, 0.60-1.05) for PR+ breast cancer (P for heterogeneity = 0.002) among women with induced abortion."<ref>Study, p. 817.</ref>  In non-statistical language, this means that the women in the study who had children (parous) were 58% more likely to get progesterone negative breast cancer if they ever had an abortion, and the same women were somewhat less likely to get progesterone positive breast cancer. Among the study group there were 442 breast cancer cases among women who ever had an abortion. 59 (13%) were progresterone negative and 92 (21%) were progesterone positive.