Senator Calls For State Apology For Thalidomide Survivors.

Wednesday, 30 June 2021 15:28

File image: Barry Ward/Houses of the Oireachtas

The effects of Thalidomide on babies include missing or disabled limbs.

A Fine Gael senator says the State needs to offer a “heartfelt and sincere apology” to the victims of the morning sickness drug Thalidomide for delays in alerting women to its effect on unborn children.

Thalidomide was manufactured by German firm Grunenthal.

It was prescribed to women in Ireland experiencing severe morning sickness in the 1950s and 1960s.

The effects of Thalidomide on babies include missing or disabled limbs.

Senator Ward, the Irish Times, has described as "unnecessary" the state's opposition to litigation taken by 29 Thalidomide survivors.

Senator Ward joined Clem Ryan on Wednesday's edition of Kildare Today, along with Athy woman and Thalidomide survivor, Carmel Daly McDonnell.

The interview is preceded by an excerpt of a New York Times documentary on the Thalidome scandal.

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