© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
The state of Texas is now informing women considering an abortion that the procedure boosts the risk of delivering a future baby with cerebral palsy.
According to the Reduce Preterm Risk Coalition in Vancouver, Canada, Texas is the first state in the nation to officially make such a warning.
A state law, the Woman's Right to Know Act, requires all doctors to make available certain information to women contemplating an abortion. Included is the booklet "A Woman's Right to Know," published by the Texas Department of Health, which contains the warning about cerebral palsy and other diseases for which premature babies are at high risk.
"Some large studies have reported a doubling of the risk of premature birth in later pregnancy if a woman has had two induced abortions," the booklet reads. "The same studies report an 800 percent increase in the risk of extremely early premature births for a woman who has experienced four or more induced abortions. Very premature babies, who have the highest risk of death, also have the highest risk for lasting disabilities, such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, lung and gastrointestinal problems, and vision and hearing loss."
Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development or during infancy. It affects movement and posture.
The Texas booklet also mentions the established link between abortion and breast cancer:
"Your chances of getting breast cancer are affected by your pregnancy history. If you have carried a pregnancy to term as a young woman, you may be less likely to get breast cancer in the future. However, you do not get the same protective effect if your pregnancy is ended by an abortion. The risk may be higher if your first pregnancy is aborted."
As WorldNetDaily reported, scientists authoring a study examining a variety of physical and psychological consequences associated with abortion have recommended women be informed about the abortion-breast cancer link.
Dr. John M. Thorpe, an epidemiologist at the University of North Carolina's School of Public Health, and his colleagues called for physicians to inform women about increased breast cancer risk associated with induced abortion and about the existence of research examining abortion as an independent risk factor for breast cancer.
"A young woman with an unintended pregnancy clearly sacrifices the protective effect of a term delivery should she decide to abort and delay childbearing," wrote the authors. "Thus, we conclude that informed consent before induced abortion should include information about the subsequent risk of preterm delivery and depression."
