good article. Regardless of whether or not the author may have other underlying reasons for opposing abortion, if it is in fact a risk factor for breast cancer then it is definitely something women should be aware of, and the doctors performing the abortion must have a duty to disclose this in order to gain the informed consent necessary to perform the procedure.

Well that is easy then. If the pill and those abortions are so
evil, those Catholic hospitals should be falling over themselves
to give people the choice of having their tubes tied or the snip
for men.

But of course even that goes against the dogma, so they refuse.

This is one of those pieces where I want to yell "get a grip."

The lifetime risk of getting breast cancer for women is around 12%.

So by how much does, say, using the pill increase the risk? We are not told.

This from the National Cancer Institute in the USA.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives

>>A number of studies suggest that current use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills) appears to slightly increase the risk of breast cancer, especially among younger women. HOWEVER, THE RISK LEVEL GOES BACK TO NORMAL 10 YEARS OR MORE AFTER DISCONTINUING ORAL CONTRACEPTIVE USE

Women who use oral contraceptives have REDUCED RISKS OF OVARIAN AND ENDOMETRIAL CANCER. This protective effect increases with the length of time oral contraceptives are used.

Oral contraceptive use is associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer; however, this increased risk may be because sexually active women have a higher risk of becoming infected with human papillomavirus*, which causes virtually all cervical cancers.

Women who take oral contraceptives have an increased risk of benign liver tumors, but the relationship between oral contraceptive use and malignant liver tumors is less clear.>>

(My capitalisations)

So use of oral contraceptives may increase slightly the risk of getting a disease you're probably not going to get anyway while protecting you from another disease and from unwanted pregnancies which have their own risks.

Guess what? Life is full of trade-offs.

About the worst reason I can think of for having kids is to reduce your risk of breast cancer.

*However we now have a vaccine against this virus.

This from

http://www.breastcancer.org.au/about-breast-cancer/risk-factors.aspx

>>Other factors that seem to slightly increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer include:

Starting menstruation at a relatively early age (before 12 years)

Starting menopause at a relatively late age (after 55 years)

Not having children or having a first child after 30 years of age

Not breastfeeding – the more months spent breastfeeding, the lower the risk of developing breast cancer

Taking combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) after menopause, especially when taken for 5 years or longer

Gaining a lot of weight in adulthood, especially after menopause

Drinking alcohol (more than 2 standard drinks a day)

Previously having been diagnosed with lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) or atypical hyperplasia>>

It enumerates all the risk factors the author mentions and more.

Does that sound like "deadly silence" to you.