In 2003, the Texas legislature mandated that women be given information before undergoing an abortion. This became a booklet titled, “A Woman’s Right to Know,” and the Texas Department of State Health Services just released a new edition with updated information. One of the facts stated in the booklet is that abortion increases a woman’s risk for various health issues, including breast cancer and depression.
According to the Associated Press, this is “refuted” information. The article reads, “The new edition of the booklet contains a section titled ‘Breast Cancer Risk,’ despite numerous, peer-reviewed studies that have refuted links between abortion and breast cancer. The booklet also says women who terminate pregnancies can become suicidal and infertile.”
But has that information really been refuted? The answer is no.
John Seago, legislative director for Texas Right to Life, discussed the booklet with Live Action News, said that while the 2003 version of the booklet contained some outdated information, it has since been updated:
The booklet contains information about abortion procedures, the risks associated, fetal development details, as well as life-affirming alternatives. It was a long and ugly fight at the department level to write the booklet because anti-life forces were truly scared of this relevant information being given to pregnant women.
Unfortunately, the booklet had not been updated since 2003 and contained several outdated scientific claims, as well as mischaracterizations of state statutes since we’ve passed multiple pro-life laws since then. For example, even though we changed our laws to require parental consent, the booklet still being used until now states the minor’s seeking elective abortions only have to give their parents notification of their abortion decision.
The reality is, women are at higher risk of getting breast cancer after an abortion. This is a fact that has been confirmed by 53 out of 73 studies. And interestingly, many of the organizations that deny this link have direct ties to Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry.
In addition to an increased risk of breast cancer, women are also at an increased risk for liver, cervical, and ovarian cancers, as well as endometriosis and pelvic inflammatory disease, and abortion can also increase the risk of premature birth in future pregnancies. The abortion industry likes to claim that abortion is safer than childbirth, but this is categorically false.
Women also are at an increased risk for mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, and suicidal behavior, after having an abortion, something that 29 out of 30 studies confirms.
Seago says that the booklet contains positive information for women, especially for women being coerced into abortion. “First, Texas women and their families will benefit from the updated and expanded Resource Directory that will point women to the life-affirming medical and social services available to her around the state,” he said. “Secondly, the booklet now addresses abortion coercion and human trafficking. Women in Texas now received the notice that no one can force a woman to undergo an abortion, not even her parents or the father of her baby. Also the new booklet includes instructions for contacting help if a woman feels she is being coerced or is the victim of human trafficking.”
Seago added, “Thankfully the department has worked hard to update the booklet to be more scientifically accurate and relevant to women thinking about elective abortions. Texas Right to Life made several recommendations to the department in the public comment period and we appreciate the adoption of several critical edits.”
It’s no surprise that the abortion industry wants to keep all of the information on abortion risks a secret — after all, they routinely lie to women — and this is why the Texas booklet is so necessary. We cannot trust abortionists to tell women the truth about what they’re risking when they have an abortion. And for all of their talk of being “pro-choice,” it’s not a legitimate, informed choice if the woman isn’t making it with all of the information in front of her.
