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Pregnancy is not without physical risk: carrying a pregnancy to term
and giving birth can cause complications and subsequent health problems
or even death. Even if a woman is in good physical health continuing a
pregnancy is more risky than an abortion. Complications after an
abortion such as serious bleeding, internal damage to the uterus or
cervix and infection are possible but very rare when, as in the UK,
abortions are performed by trained, experienced professionals in
sterile conditions. Infertility There is no link between abortion and infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth. Breast cancer The largest study looking at a possible link between abortion and breast cancer followed 1.5 million women in Denmark. It found that women who had abortions had no greater risk of breast cancer than those who had not. Research showing a link between breast cancer and abortion has been discredited. A collaborative analysis of data from 53 studies reported in the Lancet stated that "worldwide epidemiological evidence indicates that pregnancies ending as either spontaneous or induced abortions do not have adverse effects on women's subsequent risk of developing breast cancer." |
