Thank you for a very informative and thought provoking article. The governments of all affected countries are definitely culpable; a woman might well wonder if less stringent testing was a result of the "cosmetic/ elective" aspect of this surgery/ implant.
Any male or female can do as they chose with their own body, but I can't help but compare this surgery with the barbaric practice of footbinding and the many other painful physical alterations women have undergone - for the sake of a current perception of beauty and desirability. I look forward to the time when this percepetion of beauty passes out of fashion, taking its inherent health risks with it.

Thank you for a balanced and thoughtful article on this subejct.The statistics on percentage of GDP spent, vis a vis quality of care, prove that this approach makes sense economically. I think your comment that the French model is not necessarily altruistic, that it recognizes the link between individual well being and the well being of the nation, goes to the heart of why this model seems to scare Americans. I am afraid that in the USA, our culture of capitalism believes that the individual must struggle for their own well being- anything else borders on Communism. Real facts and figures might help change that perspective..

Great photo! I am still in a state of suprise and joy. I feel proud of us, as a country. We still have some sense, we are not entirely ruled or fooled by greed. We are still smart enough, at the end of the day, to make the right choice.
If I were the welcoming committee at the Whitehouse, I would be dusting furiously and preparing a fine welcome for the new First Family!