TOO LITTLE TOO LATE FOR THALIDOMIDE VICTIMS

Last Saturday's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Ottawa to compensate thalidomide victims". There will be a $125,000 lump sum payment to the alleged still surviving 95 victims. I say alleged because quite frankly I expect there are more victims than that. Possibly the 95 recognized have severe disabilities or deformities however thalidomide affected some unborn children markedly differently than others. I wonder how many mothers who took thalidomide either had no obvious effects upon their children or even relatively minor effects. There is also supposed to be $168 million available for long term medical assistance. I suspect that as coping thalidomide survivors have aged they are finding their abilities to cope and compensate for disabilities strained. Thalidomide was a government-approved drug prescribed to pregnant women in the 1950's and 60's for relief of nausea symtoms.