The medical community in St. John's is unhappy with information that an anti-abortion group in the province is spreading, claiming a link between abortion and breast cancer.

Pro-Life Newfoundland and Labrador posted the ads online and in newsletters throughout October to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness month.

"One thing that the cancer societies often looks over is the risk of breast cancer as a risk of abortion. The organizations often deny this, often will try to cover it up because it is not politically correct… it's a political hot button issue, so a lot of organizations will cover it up," said Patrick Hanlon, the spokesperson for Pro-Life Newfoundland and Labrador.

The group is encouraging women to research the link between abortion and breast cancer because in its opinion, women seeking abortions are often not informed.

"The link is the transformation process and the cell growth that happens in the breast to prepare for breast feeding. If that transformation process is ended abruptly and unnaturally by an induced abortion, those cells could become cancer producing cells and can contribute to breast cancer," said Hanlon.

Hanlon said the group bases its message on "scientific medical studies."

Dr. Kara Laing, an oncologist with Eastern Health. said that although studies on the matter are conflicting, there appears to be no link between abortions and breast cancer.

"I think the decision to have an abortion is a very personal decision and it's not one that I think there is enough data strong enough one way or the other to say that there is an increased risk of breast cancer," said Laing.

The executive director of Planned Parenthood disagrees with the anti-abortion group's claims, and said that some women come to the sexual health clinic wanting to have an abortion but are afraid to because they have concerns about developing breast cancer.

"We feel that it is unethical to use these scare tactics to persuade women not to have abortion… by using these scare tactics, it can impact women emotionally. The National Cancer Institute, the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society, the Canadian Cancer Society, all these reputable health organizations say that abortions do not cause breast cancer," said Costa Kasimos, the executive director of Planned Parenthood.