re: #395 lawhawk

I’ve seen some of the arguments against funding PP laid out in terms of the increased risks of cancers, including breast cancer, from the provision of contraceptives and abortions. I don’t find those particularly persuasive, since the risks are minimal and the benefits of those services outweigh the risks - and PP’s services include breast screening and education so that women can detect potential problems far earlier than they would otherwise.

Exactly. The education they do is probably their most important factor, but their ability to refer to mammograms is really important too. It’s tying together services like that that really helps follow through. If you tell a woman “You need a mammogram,” it is far less likely to happen than if you say “You need a mammogram, here’s a voucher to get it done”.

And the increased risk of cancer from abortions is completely scientific hokum. Contraceptives, hormone-based, may very well increase cancer risk but so does, most likely total numbers of menstrual cycles. That calculus is way too hard to perform.