“…Congress found…that this method of killing a living fetus- performed on fetuses that are at or near viability-…perverts the birth process, blurs the line between abortion and infanticide, and confuses the medical, legal, and ethical duties of physicians to preserve life.
"Congress also found that partial-birth abortion imposes severe pain on the fetus.”
“Congress specifically found that partial-birth abortion poses serious risks of its own to the health of a woman undergoing the procedure.
"Those risks include…cervical incompetence, potentially hindering a woman’s ability to carry a subsequent pregnancy to term, and a risk of lacerations and severe hemorrhaging from a doctor forcing a sharp instrument into the base of the skull of the fetus while it is lodged in the birth canal.
"Additional risks include that of uterine rupture, abruption, amniotic fluid embolus, and trauma to the uterus as a result of any conversion of the fetus to a footling breech position...”
[Excerpts from previous Department of Justice filings from spokesman Monica Goodling, who published a detailed explanation of the legal issues involved in the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban case]
Medical Group Favors Disclosure of Abortion-Breast Cancer Link
the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) favors disclosing to patients a "highly plausible" relationship between abortion and increased risk of breast cancer. AAPS executive director Jane Orient, MD said: "The AAPS believes that patients have the right to give or withhold fully informed consent before undergoing medical treatment. This includes notification of potential adverse effects. While there is a difference of medical opinion concerning the abortion-breast cancer link, there is a considerable volume of evidence supporting this link, which is, moreover, highly plausible. We believe that a reasonable person would want to be informed of the existence of this evidence before making her decision." Karen Malec, pres of the Coalition On Abortion-Breast Cancer: "The coalition is grateful to the AAPS for taking a pro-information position on the ABC research. Women have a right to be autonomous, especially when it comes to life or death choices…We encourage all medical groups and the cancer establishment to take a pro-information stand. In particular, we challenge the National Cancer Institute, the American Medical Association, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to discontinue their pro-censorship practices by offering women an honest evaluation of the research. Censorship has contributed to a public health catastrophe in the U.S." Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1996 reported a 23% risk elevation among American women procuring abortions. Significantly, Newcomb et al. found that relative risk increased with age at diagnosis.
[1] Malec published an article in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons during the summer, "The Abortion-Breast Cancer Link: How Politics Trumped Science and Informed Consent." She discussed widespread scientific misconduct and efforts to conceal the research during the last half century. [2] Five medical groups say that abortion is one of the causes of breast cancer. [3] [1. Newcomb et al. (1996) JAMA 275:283-7; 2. Available at: www.jpands.org/vol8no2/malec; 3. National Physicians Center for Family Resources, CMA, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Polycarp Research Institute, Breast Cancer Prevention Institute. http://www.abortionbreastcancer.com/press_releases/031103/index.htm]
[3Nov03 Pro-Life E-News <; COALITION ON ABORTION/BREAST CANCER - Press Release, 1-877-803-0102 www.AbortionBreastCancer.com; PLE-news, #284, 4Nov03]
Abortion 
