A new study released by Rep. Henry A. Waxman finds that federally funded pregnancy
resource centers often mislead pregnant teens about the medical
risks of abortion, telling investigators who posed as pregnant 17-year-olds
that abortion leads to breast cancer, infertility, and mental illness.
87 percent of the centers reached by investigators provided
false or misleading information about abortion.
Under the Bush Administration, pregnancy resource centers, which are also
called “crisis
pregnancy centers,” have received over $30 million in federal funding. The
new report assesses the scientific accuracy of the information they provide. Female
investigators, who posed as pregnant 17-year-olds seeking advice about an
unintended pregnancy, telephoned the 25 pregnancy resource centers that have
received capacity-building funds from the Department of Health and
Human Services.
Twenty of the 23 centers reached by the investigators (87%) provided false or
misleading information about the health effects of abortion. According
to the report:
- The centers provided false and misleading information about a
link between abortion and breast cancer. There is
a medical consensus that induced abortion does not cause an increased risk
of breast cancer. Despite this consensus, eight centers told
the caller that having an abortion would in fact increase her risk. One
center said that “all abortion causes an increased risk of breast
cancer in later years," while another told the caller that an
abortion would “affect the milk developing in her breasts” and
that the risk of breast cancer increased by as much as 80% following an
abortion.
- The centers provided false and misleading information about the
effect of abortion on future fertility. Abortions in the
first trimester, using the most common abortion procedure, do not pose
an increased risk of infertility. However,
seven centers told the caller that having an abortion could hurt her chances
of having children in the future. One center said that damage
from abortion could lead to “many miscarriages” or to “permanent
damage” so “you
wouldn’t be able to carry,” telling the caller that this
is “common” and happens “a lot.”
- The centers provided false and misleading information about the
mental health effects of abortion. Research shows that significant
psychological stress after an abortion is no more common than after birth. However,
thirteen centers told the caller that the psychological effects of abortion
are severe, long-lasting, and common. One center said that the suicide
rate in the year after an abortion “goes up by seven times.” Another
center said that post-abortion stress suffered by women having abortions
is “much like” that seen in soldiers returning from Vietnam
and “is something that anyone who’s had an abortion is sure
to suffer from.”