Thalidomide victims

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The Harper government is offering a lump sum payment of $125 000 to each of the roughly 100 surviving thalidomide victims in Canada. The tax-free money is intended to cover their health care needs but some of the victims say it’s not enough.

Thalidomide was a government approved drug given to pregnant women in the 50’s and 60’s to help with nausea, but many of those children were born with birth defects.

After 25 years working for the Hamilton school board Paul Settle isn’t able to work any more. The government is offering help to people like him with a fund of up to $168 million to cover a wide variety of expenses for the nearly 100 surviving victims of the drug and not just medical needs.

Paul’s mother Maxene still has 2 of the pills she was prescribed in 1961, she has 6 children, Paul and his twin brother Peter were both born with birth defects, “53 years I’ve had this stress” and after a lifetime of challenges Maxene wants to make sure her sons receive the care they need.

Survivors were asking for twice that amount and Settle worries it won’t be enough. He and other victims still have many unanswered questions about the compensation and access to the fund. They haven’t be given any details yet about how to access the money and some worry that this will mean delayed compensation for people who need it.