Monday April 11, 2005 5:25pm Reporter: Kathy Fowler

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SOME WOMEN BROKE DOWN IN TEARS, SAYING SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS RUINED THEIR LIVES.

BUT OTHER BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS TESTIFIED TODAY THAT THOSE SAME IMPLANTS HAVE MADE THEM FEEL WHOLE AGAIN.

SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS WERE TAKEN OFF THE U.S. MARKET BACK IN THE 1990S. NOW TWO COMPANIES SAY THEIR NEW IMPLANTS ARE SAFE AND THE BANS SHOULD BE LIFTED.

MEDICAL REPORTER KATHY FOWLER JOINS WITH THIS STORY.

THIS IS A HOTLY CONTESTED DEBATE. EVERYONE'S EXTREMELY PASSIONATE ABOUT SILICONE BREAST IMPLANTS.

THE TESTIMONY FROM BOTH SIDES, THOSE FOR AND AGAINST, WAS MUCH THE SAME TODAY AS IT WAS WHEN THIS EXACT SAME ISSUE CAME UP TWO YEARS AGO.

WHAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME AROUND IS THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE. THE QUESTION IS: WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE SAY AND WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO OUTWEIGH SOME VERY EMOTIONAL STORIES?

MORE THAN 250,000 WOMEN EVERY YEAR GET THEIR BREAST AUGMENTATION.

IN 60 OTHER COUNTRIES, WOMEN CAN CHOOSE BETWEEN GETTING WATER-FILLED SALINE IMPLANTS OR SILICONE GEL IMPLANTS . BUT IN THE UNITED STATES, THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION BANNED SILICONE TO MOST WOMEN BECAUSE OF ITS LINKS TO SERIOUS DISEASES.

Mary McDonough, actress: "For me, it was one of the biggest mistake I made in my life."

ACTRESS MARY MCDONOUGH, WHO STARRED IN THE WALTONS, WAS ONE OF THE WOMEN WHO CAME TO THIS FDA HEARING IN GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND, TO CONVINCE THE FDA TO CONTINUE THE BAN ON SILICONE.

Mary: "They finally diagnosed me with lupus and then I had my implants out, and it's made a huge difference."

A FEW STUDIES SUPPORT THE LINK BETWEEN SILICONE AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, BUT THE MAJORITY OF RESEARCH STUDIES LARGELY EXONERATE SILICONE AS THE CAUSE.

Dr. Scott Spear, Georgetown University Hospital: "The overwhelming body of medical evidence does not support a link between silicone or silicone breast implants and any disease."

Diana Zuckerman, National Research Center for Women & Families: "I agree the evidence isn't there. But what I say is that the evidence isn't there for safety."

FIFTEEN MONTHS AGO, THE FDA APPEARED TO BE MORE INTERESTED IN WHETHER OR NOT THE SILICONE IMPLANTS RUPTURE, SAYING IT WOULDN'T LIFT RESTRICTIONS UNLESS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SILICONE LEAKING INTO THE BODY ARE ANSWERED.

BETSY MULLEN IS A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR AND CAN HAVE SILICONE IMPLANTS AS LONG AS SHE'S INVOLVED IN A CLINICAL TRIAL. SHE CHOSE SALINE WHEN SHE FIRST HAD HER BREAST RECONSTRUCTION, BUT ISN'T HAPPY.

Betsy Mullen, breast cancer survivor: "It doesn't look or feel as natural. You can actually see ripples ridges in the implant."

THE FDA ADVISORY COMMITTEE IS DECIDING WHETHER THE BAN WILL BE LIFTED ON SILICONE FOR TWO SEPARATE SILICONE MANUFACTURING COMPANIES. THE DECISION FOR ONE COMPANY IS EXPECTED TUESDAY. THE SECOND COMPANY IS SUPPOSED TO HEAR IF THEIR SILICONE BAN WILL BE LIFTED ON WEDNESDAY.