30 mai, 2006 00:01

Breast implant registry

OTTAWA – Today, NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North) introduced a Private Member’s Bill to establish a National Breast Implant Registry to protect women’s health.

"Breast implants have been shown in the past to pose a serious health risk to women, yet we are lacking the basic tools for independent monitoring to keep track of their health impacts," said Wasylycia-Leis. "The NDP and women’s health organizations have been pushing for a registry for years. We even have Health Canada’s own Expert Advisory Panel backing a registry, yet there was nothing in the budget to support this. Is women’s health protection not on the Conservative radar screen?"

NDP Health Critic Penny Priddy (Surrey North), joined Wasylycia-Leis at a news conference to publicize the new bill.

"Safeguarding women’s health should be this government’s priority," said Priddy. "And this registry will fill an important gap in women’s health protection. The possible reintroduction of silicone breast implants makes the establishment of this monitoring tool even more compelling. We need the data a registry alone can provide in order to accurately assess the long-term risks and to co-ordinate a response, should problems arise."

Joining the two NDP MPs was Canadian Women’s Health Network representative Shari Graydon. The CWHN and the B. C. Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health – Canada’s leading authorities in this field – both support the registry proposal. So too does a panel of experts assembled by Health Canada last year to look at the safety of breast implants.

Health problems associated with silicone implants prompted Health Canada to impose a moratorium on their use in 1992. Under pressure from manufacturers, this moratorium is currently being reviewed. Problems have also appeared with non-silicone based products. It is estimated that anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 Canadian women have breast implants.

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