Pro-life, and the Movement of Misinformation

Hello this Is Izzy and welcome to my podcast: Pro-life, and the movement of misinformation

 In the current year, 2024, even a small disagreement can be solved with a quick google search. What was once hours cycling through encyclopedias purchased at a high cost, or sought out at a local library, has been compacted to a small device carried within the pocket of a majority of the population.

It is so easy to fact check information just by looking it up online. Even with the flooding of fake news and misinformation in the media, it takes 5 minutes to double check the information you are consuming. In the past organizations relied on sourcing their materials and the trust of those consuming them. In some cases this resulted in the popularization and widespread recognition of important health progresses. In other cases it perpetrated the spread of unreliable and falsified data.

This episode I will be discussing the misinformation produced by pro life groups in the context of the Northampton area. All of the Pamphlets and flyers I will be referencing are currently in the Smith College archive. They were collected over the short course of the Pro life org that was running on campus during the early to mid 90s. 

Examples 

“What Your abortionist won’t tell you about breast cancer”

This is the fist pamphlet I will be discussing, it is sectioned in 3 different parts, I will be discussing what is said in the first and last section. The first section states: 

• “Breast cancer in america has increased by 50% since abortion was legalized”

Firstly I would like to discuss the lack of citation for this statistic on the pamphlet. Through research; I found that it was intended to reference an article by the CDC which uses the statistic 52%. The Article is not framed to the context of Roe vs Wade but just the trends of the 1970s to the 1990s. Looking at the bigger picture breast cancer diagnosis has been raising since the beginning of the 20th century, the likelihood of diagnosis; trends showing a 0.6% yearly increase in incidence.

The last section continues: 

• “Over twenty published studies show an increased breast cancer risk among women with abortions before their first live birth”

This claim stems from the many improperly conducted studies attempting to link breast cancer and abortion. These studies contain basis and errors that create untrue and unreliable results. As an example, a commonly used studie for its statistic: “  the risk of breast cancer in those who had experienced an induced abortion was 50% higher than among other women” Comes from a study conducted on a small percent of women within the state of Washington. The study was only conducted in 3 counties. By restricting research to a small geological area the data provided is unable to reflect the population of the world. Even if we assume that the pamphlet was only meant to refer to women in the US, their lack of clarity where the data comes from appears a symptom of fear mongering. 

The next pamphlet is titled:

“What does abortion have to do with breast cancer?”

Here are some examples of the data referenced 

•  “…abortion before the first live birth increased risk by 140%”

In the next pamphlet many statistics are thrown at the reader. For the first statistic I could not find a study with the exact number of 140%, but an LA times article mentioning a study that came out of california in 1981 that had similar results. This study only examined 163 women, making the study pool too conservative to reflect onto the general population. This small pool of candidates does not reflect the rest of the world. Due to their closeness to proximity and the lack of a large selection there is an inherent bias to the work that needs to be discussed. It is statistics like these, statistics that are positioned as if they reflect the world when in fact it is just a small group, Pro life groups use to scare those seeking medical attention 

• “In 1986, a study in Connecticut that followed miscarriages for decades found that spontaneous abortions before a first live birth increased risk by 350%”

This statistic and the other following numbers given come from studies that just specifically examine a small survey pool inflating the percentage provided.

It is important that we look further into numbers provided by studies and examine how they were collected. When comparing studies that claim Abortions affect a person’s likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer vs those who disagree it is clear that through more thorough study and the examination of large populations from veering countries that Abortion does not affect one’s likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Targeting  

The pro life organization of Smith attempted to further their organization by appealing to groups found on the Smith college campus. These groups included; those of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance and black students on campus. 

• Targeting Queer students 

“Human rights start when human life begins”

The Pro-life alliance of Smith also carried pamphlets from The Pro-Life Allience of Gays and Lesbians in their archive. These pamphlets act as a moral sway, attempting to gain Gay and Lesbian support through spreading misinformation and comparing the act of abortion to the struggle of queer people. The first page of the pamphlet writes “We have uncovered and challenged the diversion of funds from various AIDS Walks to abortion providers.” By using the broad term “abortion providers” the pamphlet is failing to discuss the essential role that these hospitals, like planned parenthood, play; which is as sexual health centers. Centers that provide abortion are more than just that, people may go to seek treatment or testing of stis, as well as to be prescribed birth controls. “It is only a matter of time until the growing scientific evidence for the genetic basis of homosexuality will confront both anti-gay pro-lifers and pro-abortion lesbians and pays with a simiair dialema: What will they say to a woman who aborts an unborn child who is likely to be gay?” This paragraph plays directly off of the fear of the queer community due the centuries of societal violence and hate. The idea of gayness being detected by genetic make up is completely unfounded. It is a stretch to assume that this is inevitable. By using fear tactics, pro-life orgs are able to gain support through a hypothetical event that has never happened nor has evidence toward it being committed in the future, this ultimately creates a belief system based in anxiety rather than factual evidence.  

• Targeting black students 

 November 4th 1994 the Smith Pro life alliance attended a Harvard conference hosted by the Harvard-Radcliffe Alliance for life. This event was targeted to students, the students from Smith going to listen to a variety of speakers. Barabra Bell is noted in a letter to the students, to be discussing the Pro-life movement work within the black community. Looking at the notes taken by a student who attended, paraphrased, she discussed abolition and abortion as two parallels. This connection was used for the sole purpose of justifying opposing a federal law. It is selfish and disgusting to compare the suffering of enslaved people to the right for people to choose. The speaker then continues to compare abortion to slavery. She further compares the argument of pre civil war slave owners who fought for slavery as a moral decision rather than a law to those who believe in pro-choice. These arguments diminish the millions of people who suffered due to transatlantic slave trade, and attempts to scare those who are undecided in their stance against pro-life into believing that abortion contributes to the same suffering. 

• Controversy on campus

The formation of the Pro-Life Alliance of Smith sparked controversy through the students on campus, it was by a 37-6 vote of the student senate that the group was allowed to form. This came after discussions on both sides of the spectrum questioning if the org acts as a hate group or an exercise of personal belief. The org was classified as a partisan political organization, withdrawing their ability to get school funding.

The creation of the Pro-Life Alliance of Smith was also mentioned in a New York Times article: “Campus Life: Smith; Student Senate Approves Group Opposing Abortion”. The article discusses the same discourse: if the club’s creation is inherently oppressive or a space for people with similar beliefs to gather.

• Conclusion

College is a time for study and exploration of self interest. Social gatherings and clubs reflect the multifaceted belief systems held by humans. Everyone should be able to explore their political and moral beliefs without fear of being targeted. It is when the systems upholding these orgs are built upon the spreading of misinformation and fear mongering that we must work as a community to hold them accountable and stay informed on what is happening in the world around us. Thank you for listening and I hope you learned something new.

“Breast Cancer Statistics: How Common Is Breast Cancer?” American Cancer Society, 17 Jan. 2024, www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html. 

“Campus Life: Smith; Student Senate Approves Group Opposing Abortion.” The New York Times, 15 Apr. 1990, www.nytimes.com/1990/04/15/style/campus-life-smith-student-senate-approves-group-opposing-abortion.html. 

Costello, Daniel. “An Enduring Debate: Cancer and Abortion.” Los Angeles Times, March 10, 2003. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-10-he-cancer10-story.html. 

“Deaths from Breast Cancer — United States, 1991.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Apr. 1996, www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00026281.htm#:~:text=The%20annual%20incidence%20of%20breast%20cancer%20among,increased%204%%20during%20the%20same%20period%20(2).&text=During%201980%2D1991%2C%20race%2Dspecific%20death%20rates%20for%20breast,women%20remained%20constant%2C%20increasing%20less%20than%201%. 

Events, 1994-1996. Pro-Life Alliance records, Smith College Archives, CA-MS-00309. Box 3017.2. https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/4/archival_objects/20991 

Hadjimichael, O., Boyle, C. & Meigs, J. Abortion before first livebirth and risk of breast cancer. Br J Cancer 53, 281–284 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1986.46 

Tong H, Wu Y, Yan Y, Dong Y, Guan X, Liu Y, Lu Z. No association between abortion and risk of breast cancer among nulliparous women: Evidence from a meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 May;99(19):e20251. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000020251. PMID: 32384520; PMCID: PMC7220471.