Thursday, 5 January 2012

Women in the News


Doubtless driven by the exigencies of profit it transpires that breast implants manufactured by a French company have been found to contain industrial grade silicone gel, rather than medical grade and have an increased risk of rupturing. It is estimated that the company have sold more than 300,000 implants. To their credit the French authorities reacted promptly and have recommended that patients with the potentially dangerous implants should have them removed and have agreed to pay for surgeries. Even countries like Venezuela where the popularity of breast surgery is widespread is offering free surgeries for women to remove potentially faulty French-made breast implants.

Here in the UK it seems politicians are more phlegmatic, with the British Health Minister saying there is no need to have the implants removed. This is against a backdrop of concern that the cosmetic surgery industry may have provided inaccurate information of failure rates.

Leaving aside wholly necessary surgeries, it would perhaps be remiss of the Coffee Shop to point out that male politicians commenting on a predominantly female issue, seeking advice from a male-dominated industry, where women are frequently pressurized to accede to implants to pander to the whims of men, perhaps ought to start raising once again a whole host of other questions.

1 comment:

Monica said...

I have been keeping abreast of developments in this matter. Putting aside my natural prejudice against that country with which England has been more at war than any other it seems to me that the manufacturer should be liable for any replacement costs but, sadly and perhaps conveniently the manufacturer has gone bust. So perhaps the government of the country which failed adequately to regulate that company should be required to compensate the victims.