Feminists v. Breasts

Feminists v. Breasts

OpinionJournal - Thanks for the Mammaries

A manufacturer of implants, Dow Corning, became a cause célèbre for activists and the mother's milk of the plaintiffs bar. As recently as last year, the flattened company agreed to pay the federal government $9.8 million for the treatment of women with diseases studies now say were unrelated.

But the science was always dubious, and in 1999 the Institute of Medicine reported there was no basis for the claims. In fact, none of the alleged autoimmune diseases could be found to have any higher incidence in women who had had their breasts enlarged. Oh well. The fees the lawyers collected fed the pot for attacking politically unpopular industries--from tobacco and firearms to HMOs. Dow Corning eventually filed for bankruptcy.