To the Editor:
I am very distressed at the recent ruling by the Food and Drug Administration on silicone implants. I don't understand how they can be banned when they have been used for 30 years on 2 million women, of whom only a small fraction have experienced health problems.
Alcohol and tobacco kill, but because they generate billions of dollars in profits and taxes the FDA does nothing. I am 39 years old and am a cancer patient who has undergone the first phase of reconstruction (temporary implants to stretch the muscles and skin) and was scheduled for my permanent implants Feb. 5. Now I have to wait again for the FDA to hand down its ruling. I know the FDA will never understand how someone in my situation feels about being whole again, feeling normal. Let's stop creating fear where it doesn't exist and tackle health risks we do know exist. Give us the choice to decide what we want for our own bodies.