Lies, damn lies and statistics; part deux

Today, let’s debunk another lie told by abortion protesters at Planned Parenthood:

Lie #2: Ma’am – did you know that abortion increases your risk of developing breast cancer?

There are plenty of good arguments against a right to abortion (I believe they are outweighed by the good arguments for a right to abortion, hence my pro-choice stance) - why not stick to these? Can we all agree that scare tactics are a shallow and dishonorable method – or is this another ‘the ends justify the means' case?

For the record, the American Cancer Society[1], the National Cancer Institute[2], the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists[3] and countless other recognized scientific bodies have found no statistically relevant link between induced abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer. Also for the record, there are a handful of organizations who disagree – for example, the Catholic Medical Association [4] and the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists [5]. Dare I suggest these last two might have ulterior motives?

As always, I encourage dissent. Find an unbiased, un-politically motivated, medically sanctioned organization that disagrees, and I’ll buy you a cigar (FYI – these things definitely do cause cancer).

Lies, damn lies and statistics

One of the most interesting aspects of being a volunteer escort for Planned Parenthood is getting to hear the anti-Planned Parenthood propaganda that the protesters yell out. This is one practice which has always eluded me – I understand lying about abortion in order to get people to turn away (the ends justify the means, right?), but trying to bring down Planned Parenthood because you don’t like one of the services they offer seems an enormous waste of time. Like it or not, Planned Parenthood is providing a service for which there is a demand. Do the protesters doubt for a second that if they managed to shut down Planned Parenthood, another service provider would instantly appear to fill the void? Damn – capitalism can be so frustrating sometimes ;-)

For the record, Planned Parenthood provided about a quarter of a million abortion-related services last year – around thirty percent of the total US contingent – representing about 3% of their clientele[1][2]. On Saturday mornings, 100% of their clientele get harassed – again, the ends justify the means, right?

I have given up on changing people’s minds about many things – as Oscar Wilde said, “you can’t reason a man out of a position he didn’t reason himself into.” However, one thing I can do is dispute lies with facts and logic. So starting today, I am going to tackle some of the lies told about abortion and Planned Parenthood, one by one. There will be no spin – just facts and hard evidence. And as an added incentive to making sure I’m providing only the truth, if you can prove me wrong on any statement of fact, I’ll send you a Swisher Sweet vanilla cigar (these things are great – try one with a Baileys on the rocks while sitting on your terrace at night – the stresses of the day just float away).

Lie #1: Ma’am, if you are here for an abortion, did you know that you could be severely injured or even die from your procedure?

Well – I suppose this isn’t technically a lie – after all, I could say the same thing to people getting ready to cross the street. Abortion, like any medical procedure, imposes risks on the life of the would-be mother. However, what you won’t hear the protesters saying is that the risks of injury or death from child birth are astronomically higher than those from abortion. In fact, childbirth kills one woman every minute worldwide [3].

Granted, the protesters are likely more interested in the risks associated with childbirth and abortion in a developed country like the United States, so let’s look at the facts. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, childbirth is more than nine times more likely to lead to death of the would-be mother than legal abortion [4]. Have a look around and you’ll find plenty of organizations ready to dispute that finding – find me a non-partisan, scientifically sanctioned one and I’ll put a cigar in the mail tomorrow.

[1] http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/PPFA/report-05.pdf
[2] http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5511a1.htm
[3] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19389326/site/newsweek/
[4] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=8178896&dopt=Abstract

Phew!

At 2am this morning, I was standing in Times Square. Seven hours later, having not slept at all, I was giving a lecture to a group of middle school teachers here to learn about NASA's Vision for Space Exploration. I hope the lecture was good - I really don't remember much of it! :-)

Just back from a fabulous week in NYC with Jenni and friends - more to come on that after I organize pictures. The trip was made even better by the fact that I got my MCAT scores and I am very happy with them! I couldn't decide whether or not it was overly narcissistic to publish them here, but I think I found a way to tell those who want to know without bothering those who don't...

I got a...

...on the MCAT!*

*(90th percentile!)