The deVeber Institute
for Bioethics and Social Research

By Ian Gentles, Research Director, de Veber Institute of Bioethics.

(Ian Gentles teaches seminars on Population and Family History at Tyndale University College and at York University).

In his recent website article Colby Cosh concludes – just a trifle too complacently – that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has no reason to change its position on abortion – its position being that there is no link between breast cancer and induced abortion. Along the way he also takes a swipe at Dr Angela Lanfranchi, a professor of breast surgery, who had the temerity to suggest that having an abortion does significantly increase a woman’s chances of coming down with breast cancer. She is apparently guilty of having a ‘defined religious point of view’ -- this despite citing only scientific evidence in her various publications.

A recent statement from the Quebec College of Physicians proposes that euthanasia be included "as part of the appropriate care in certain particular circumstances." Such a development would require legalization of euthanasia by amending the Canadian Criminal Code to distinguish euthanasia from homicide.

Many students who attend universities across Canada have either faced the dilemma themselves or watched friends struggle with the choice between attaining a university education and having children. Since university students are mature individuals in their child-bearing years, it would make sense that Canadian university campuses would assist young people in their struggle by allowing them to have both an education and a family. Although many universities in Canada offer some resources, most do not offer all that is necessary. The University of Toronto greatly surpasses every other Canadian university, both through the resources available and through the general awareness of these resources amongst the student body. The majority of universities in Canada offer distance education, evening classes, on-campus daycare and rarely even one baby change table on campus. However, no university in the country offers the number of resources that the University of Toronto provides.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies effecting women around the world. In 2009 it is estimated that 21,550 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the USA and 14,600 will die of the disease. The National Institute of Cancer estimates that each woman has a 1 in 71 chance of developing the disease in her lifetime.

A recent paper by Gierach et al. (2005) found that women who have previously been pregnant and then had an induced abortion had a 31 percent increased chance of developing ovarian cancer. Since over 1,000,000 abortions are performed annually in the US and 100,000 in Canada, a possible role between abortions and induced abortions cannot be ignored and should be further investigated to determine its role.