Halt silicone implants, says Petitions Committee
The subject of silicone implants caused a stir in the European Parliament recently, after a self-help group of women, who have suffered adverse effects following implant surgery, tabled two petitions calling for an immediate ban. Commission and Parliamentary representatives clashed in the heated debate, essentially in their responses to the petitioners' argument that, because silicone implants are banned in the United States, they should also be withdrawn from use in the European Union, until proved harmless. The European Parliament has now called for formal replies and documentary evidence to be forwarded to the Petitions Committee and has also called for the matter to be raised with the Committee on Women's Rights, the Committee on Public Health and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Research. The MEPs have also called for a temporary, but immediate, suspension of silicone breast implants in the EU.