The other evening I was lamenting with another woman the fate of the second generation of women who will become ill from silicone implants. It wasn’t a question of “if” – it was a question of “when.” Definitely, we agreed, it’s going to be déjà vu all over again.

Since the FDA allowed silicone breast implants to return to the marketplace last November after a 13-year moratorium, the clock has begun ticking for the arrival of a second wave – women who will begin to report illness and ill effects from the new generation of marketed implants.

In past years, the first wave women organized and became the catalyst for action, educating the public, important panels, government and the media, about the perils of this product. As these earlier victims of silicone implants begin to age, become ill, and voices become silent in that process, who will the new faces be? Who will take up the gauntlet to educate the public about the dangers of silicone?

The FDA hasn’t demonstrated the will to protect the public from many products from the implant industry. At one notable FDA hearing leading up to the re-approval of silicone implants, panel member Dr. Barbara Manno said, “I think we have got enough to approve this and that the recipients of the device will have a choice. And it isn’t to have a choice, they can make a choice and it’s tough luck if it doesn’t work.”

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