Fred Martinez
Monday, June 17, 2002

"I don’t know if in fact it exists. That was one of the reasons we came, because that was one of the things they were talking about. Whether they just don’t have their act together and lost it or it took off with somebody. Or if they ever had it in the first place."

When Scott Weinberg, director of media and governmental affairs for PRI, was asked for the tape by the writer of this article (a reporter for the SF Faith), he immediately promised to send the tape on the next carrier. It was received a couple of days later. Steve Mosher, when asked about the tape, replied that the KPIX reporter had not done his homework.

"Anyone can look this up in the Congressional Record. We showed it at the U.S. Senate hearings chaired by Barbara Boxer. By the end of the meeting Boxer was on the defensive because of the evidence. The transcript can be downloaded at our Internet site," Mosher said.

"I’ve shown this thing everywhere. This is blatant media bias. The other side is taken at their word and we are not. They don’t use the same standard for both sides. The headline in the KPIX newscast was "Anti-abortion Meeting." We are a pro-life, pro-family conference."

Chris Kahlenborn, M.D., and others at the conference who presented scientific evidence that breast cancer is linked to abortion, also were criticized by the San Francisco reporter.

"They are also talking about trying to link what they say are scientific studies that associated an increased risk of breast cancer to abortion," Comey said. "Now, I’ve talked to supporters of abortion rights who say there is really no credible medical evidence for that [increased risk of breast cancer associated with having an abortion]. Putting in some calls to some researchers to find out whether there has been any reputable science that might offer some kind of indication whether that is a legitimate claim."

According to Dr. Kahlenborn, 28 out of 37 studies worldwide show that induced abortion increases the risk of breast cancer. Thirteen of 15 studies done in the United States reported an increased risk. (See: http://abortionbreastcancer.com/). The increased risk of having breast cancer after an abortion is 50 percent if it's your first baby. If you're under 18 it goes up to 150 percent. If you're under 18 and your baby is more than nine weeks old, your increased risk is 800 percent.

"So the evidence is all there," Dr. Kahlenborn concluded. Dr. Kahlenborn was asked why this information wasn’t public. He said, "The problem is that they [the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society] will not present this research. But if you go to the website www.polycarp.org, we have a bar graph that shows the research. It is completely black and white. Anybody can look that up and use it for court cases if they wish to. It’s very strong."

According to the doctor, the media are creating a "blackout" of scientific studies that associate an increased risk of breast cancer to abortion.

"It is more than a media bias. It’s a total media blackout – especially the medical media," Dr. Kahlenborn said. "But that’s no surprise because the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists are officially pro-abortion and pro-contraception. In fact, the American Gynecologist has endorsed partial-birth abortion. So it’s no surprise that you don’t hear from them."

Related to this, reporter Sean Comey spoke about a "new campaign" at the PRI conference to sue abortionists, "alleging that doctors failed to provide complete information about the risks of abortion to their patients." Comey said, "Now whether that’s true or not, I don’t know." Speakers at the conference responded that the risks are uncontestable. They said a new campaign to sue abortionists not giving prior notice about risks is a needed solution.

"I think if people get angry enough and start asking their doctors as well as considering lawsuits, then we will start to hear about it. They are not going to start hearing the truth unless they start going to the legal system. This is part of the solution," Kahlenborn said. "As soon as there comes a woman who has breast cancer who has had an abortion and takes it to court, she‘s got a very strong case. The problem is a lot of young women, when they do get breast cancer, die from it so quickly – because it’s so aggressive when you’re young – they might not make it to court."

California resident Sandra Duffy, who lives in Sacramento, has suffered cancer twice, and her mother died of cancer. She said, "We all know first-hand what it means to go through these experiences. I want to do what I can to protect others from tragedies that can be avoided simply by having truthful information."

Duffy is a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed last Aug. 15 against Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside counties. The suit says that Planned Parenthood ignores abortion-related complications including breast cancer and, in some cases, death while it touts the safety of abortion.

Patrick Gillen, the Thomas Moore Law Center's lead attorney representing Duffy in the case, said, "Our clients want all women to have free access to truthful and accurate information they need to make an informed choice."

"The failure to stop an abortion procedure on request, or even depriving women of their right to full information, can be construed as a denial of a woman's freedom of access to reproductive health," said PRI president Mosher. "We're working with these attorneys to inform more and more Americans of their rights. It's time America does an 'about face' on the abortion industry. Women deserve genuine health and human rights, not violations so routinely committed by the abortion industry."

On a worldwide basis, with the encouragement of pro-life members of the U.S. Congress, PRI speakers said they are carrying out wide-ranging field research among Catholic populations in the developing world. PRI has found population control is frequently used to "subdue" Catholic populations at the expense of basic aid and economic development.

"We're building on our reputation and relationship with strong pro-life members of Congress, and Catholic leaders abroad, to support human rights and to defend the Catholic faith and the rights of Catholic families throughout the world," Mosher said.

"In 1997, we began working with the bishops' conference in Peru and with the U.S. Congress to provide first-hand evidence showing a connection between U.S. funding and coercive family planning programs in Peru. We've found the international pro-abortion movement is especially active against Catholics throughout Central and South America and Eastern Europe."

PRI speakers said Catholic women in the United States are also unique targets of the abortion industry. The PRI campaign tells women of their rights under federal law to petition for full information about the physical and psychological consequences of abortion before having the procedure done. It has launched this campaign to counter the media bias and blackout.

Dr. Stanley Monteith, M.D., an author and talk show host on Radio Liberty, said that the media are not biased only because "reporters are liberal," but also because "15 major corporations control 95 percent of our major media." He said, "They [the corporations] have a political agenda. For instance, most people would wonder why the homosexuals have the power they do. The power of the homosexuals is not their own power. It’s the power of the media, the great foundations and the corporations."

Other pro-family leaders in Northern California agreed with Monteith. Guy Sudano, a composer and singer who is a parishioner at Our Lady of Peace in Santa Clara, where PRI held its youth conference, asserted that the media are two-faced. He said that the media have many sex abusers in their ranks and do not take responsibility for their part in creating sexual abuse.

"The media institution – that is, entertainment, sports and news information – would love to crucify the Church for its Judas,'" Sudano said. "But when it comes to discussing the child abusers in their own ranks, Michael Jackson, Paula Poundstone and Marv Albert, there is no problem in cheering on their heroes, maintaining their careers and paychecks. The media will never take any blame for the sexual and social chaos they have created."

Robert Soto, a youth advocate in Santa Clara County and former student body president of Cal State Bakersfield, said, "If they bring the left-wing liberal bias, then they get their story published.

"I remember the media was publicizing that Jesse Jackson was a coalition builder for all minority groups," Soto said. "Yet when he came to my college, he ignored every Mexican and Latino when they tried to get his attention. But when blacks sought his attention, he welcomed them and shook their hands."

Mr. Martinez may be reached at MrtnzFred@aol.com.

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