Which, as Tracy pointed out over at the DMHFFH Facebook HQ sounds like a brilliant name for a riot grrl band, is the best comment so far over at today's anti-choice article:
"Two or more abortions could more than DOUBLE chances of a premature birth next time"
Well ladies, that's you told, isn't it.
However, even the DM admits that fertility doctors have said that the research does not prove a link. As they've not actually provided a link to the actual study, or indeed who carried it out, I did a little internet digging, and found this gem of a quote from Dr van Oppenraaij, the man who headed the research team: "[m]ore large controlled studies, ... are needed to confirm our findings." What the DM also failed to mention - and here's the key part - that the study didn't conclude just abortion caused an increase in premature birth. The list of causes included a range of problems, from previous miscarriage, a history of premature birth, high blood pressure, being over or under weight, vanishing twin pregnancies... the list is pretty long, actually. So it's not just abortion, then.
Back to the article. The DM quoted some experts as saying the evidence was "compelling" - however, obviously, it didn't say who the experts were. Possibly because they might have been from the group Comment on Reproductive Ethics, a pro-life (of the "let's involve a Christian Priest variety") organisation, according to sourcewatch.org. It's not dissimilar to asking a Tory if Gordon Brown is a good PM.
A few links on the same research:
Sciencedaily.com
Teh Grauniad
The research article itself
30 June, 2009
Worshipping at the Altar of Abortion
Posted by
mornington
Labels:
abortion,
daily fail,
health,
science,
so-called-experts
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Urgh. I don't think I've ever seen a science or health article in the Fail that upon further research hasn't turned out to be either and out and out lie or at least incredibly misleading.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of salt you need to take any article like this with is terrible for your blood pressure.
But even if they did provide links to the original study, whilst stating that 'scientists say more studies needed" and "fertility doctors have said that the research does not prove a link" it won't make a difference because most people will read the headlines, and the first couple of paras at most, and that's it - their mind's made up. If they have a mind in the first place of course.
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