Tuesday, December 02, 2014

Support for thalidomide victims


The Canadian parliament recently voted to provide "full support" for thalidomide survivors, after a lot of campaigning and agitation in recent months, something that I imagine few people would take issue with. The vote was 256:0, the first unanimous vote in parliament since 2011 apparently (1 wonder what that one was?) The difficult part - establishing the amounts, judging the severity of deformities, etc - still remains of course, but the principle and ethics of the matter have now been well and truly established.
I have to say it took me quite a while to realize just why it has taken so long for this talk of settlements and reparations to crystallize, until it was explained to me that the survivors were only now reaching the kind of age (50 plus) when their bodies were starting to physically break down under the pressure of their deformities. Other than a federal deal reached in 1991 and a few unspecified out-of-court settlements, generally agreed to have been too little and too narrowly focussed, most thalidomide victims seem to have just kept their heads down and got on with life to the best of their abilities, and many have managed to lead full and active lives. (See here for a summary of the Canadian experience of thalidomide and its survivors).
However, after decades of reliance on weak and malformed limbs and the need to improvise in day-to-day tasks the rest of us take for granted, the victims are now experiencing increased physical and mental stress due to the greater wear and tear on their remaining joints and muscles, as well as the premature onset of arthritis and chronic pain, often leading to enforced early retirement and rising healthcare bills.
They deserve a fair and generous payout, as well as a recognition of their suffering.

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