| Germany to ban cosmetic surgery on children |
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| Tuesday, 29 April 2008 | |
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However, the professional body that represents plastic surgeons and cosmetic surgeons in Germany, The German Society for Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery (DGAEPC), accused the politicians of using exaggerated figures that had "nothing to do with reality" and added that the operations were often medically necessary. If the figures put forward by lawmakers were true, it would imply that one in every ten cosmetic surgery procedures in Germany was provided to a person under 20 years of age. His comments were echoed by Joachim Graf von Finkenstein, of the DCAEPC who said "If you (lawmakers) knew how thankful 14 to 16 year-old patients are after these procedures, that would put your worries in context," Opposition to the legislation has not been limited to professional bodies, with some politicians questioning the need for government to legislate on this matter. Gitta Connemann, of the CDU's Bundestag faction said that the decision should be left to the health insurance companies which pay for the operations, while CDU health expert Annette Widmann-Mauz said that it should be up to parents to decide. |
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