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First U.S. Abortion-BreastCancer Lawsuit Settled

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 22 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Coalition onAbortion/Breast Cancer announced today that the first U.S. abortion-breastcancer (ABC) lawsuit settled for an undisclosed amount on October 17, 2003. Thecase was filed in Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas. The plaintiff wasa 17-year-old Pennsylvania resident when a second-trimester abortion wasperformed in New Jersey without parental knowledge or consent. Although she hasn'tdeveloped breast cancer, she sued her abortion provider, Charles Benjamin, forneglecting to warn her about the physical and emotional risks of abortion.

Karen Malec, the coalition's president, declared, "Thissettlement will teach the medical establishment that it can no longer profit bykeeping women in the dark about the breast cancer risk. This case alsoestablishes that abortion providers can be sued for battery if the abortionprovider performs no parental consent abortions on minors from neighboringstates (with parental consent statutes), even if the state where the abortionis performed does not have a parental consent statute."

The plaintiff's attorney, Joseph P. Stanton, will hold apress conference on a later date. For further details, contact his office at:405 Old York Road, Jenkintown, Pa.; phone 215-886-6780.

The ABC link has been called "the elephant inmedicine's parlor." Medical experts privately say abortion causes breastcancer, but the volatility of the issue prevents them from publiclyacknowledging it.

According to a National Cancer Institute (NCI) commissionedstudy, teens who procure abortions before age 18, more than double their risk.(see note 1) Girls and women have a predominance of immature, cancer-vulnerable

Types 1 & 2 breast lobules, which aren't matured intocancer-resistant Types 3 & 4 lobules until a term pregnancy takes place.Abortion can increase the statistical odds of developing breast cancer in twoways: 1) It delays a first term pregnancy; and 2) It increases the number of cancer-vulnerablebreast cells because estrogen overexposure during a normal pregnancy stimulatescell multiplication. Women don't receive protection from estrogen

overexposure until third trimester hormones mature theirbreast tissue into milk-producing Types 3 & 4 lobules.

Scientists have proven themselves incapable of refuting thebiological explanation for the ABC link. Thirteen out of 16 U.S. studies reportrisk elevations. The NCI provided at least partial funding for 10 studies.

Minnesota and Texas state legislators passed informedconsent legislation earlier this year. Massachusetts is considering similarlegislation. Five medical organizations say abortion is one of the causes ofbreast cancer. (see note 2)

The Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer is an internationalwomen's organization founded to protect the health and save the lives of womenby educating and providing information on abortion as a risk factor for breastcancer.

References (Available athttp://www.AbortionBreastCancer.com):

(1) Daling et al. (1994) J National Cancer Institute86:1584-92.

(2) National Physicians Center for Family Resources,Catholic Medical Association, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetriciansand Gynecologists, Polycarp Research Institute, Breast Cancer PreventionInstitute.

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