A North Dakota judge has ruled that there is no established link between abortion and breast cancer. Ruling in favor of the Red River Women’s Clinic (Fargo, ND) After a three-day trial in state court, he asserted that it is reasonable for the clinic to inform patients that there is no evidence of a direct relationship between breast cancer and either induced or spontaneous abortion.

Judge Michael McGuire relied on testimony from leading epidemiology and endocrinology experts who confirmed the statements contained in the clinic’s brochures.

This case may set important precedent for related cases involving the issue of abortion and breast cancer. Expert testimony and judicial opinion are now part of the legal public record.

The lawsuit leading to the trial was filed in 1999 by former Fargo resident Amy Jo Kjolsrud, who said information in the brochures was misleading to patients. A similar lawsuit was filed against Planned Parenthood of San Diego by John Kindley, who represented Kjolsrud in the Fargo trial. The California case was dismissed before going to trial.
For a special report on this case and its implications may be found on the website of the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy (CRLP). CRLP has also posted legal briefs and scientific background.

The attempt to frighten women into believing that abortion might be unsafe is a common – and cruel – tactic used by anti-choice bullies. See PAS — An Anti-Choice Sickness in the Spring 2002 issue of WCLA’s newsletter, ProChoice, for a chronicling of the invention of a fictitious post-abortion sickness syndrome by irresponsible anti-choice practitioners.