Honour For Doctor Who Banned Drug

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29893, 6 August 1962, Page 9

Honour For Doctor Who Banned Drug

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

HYANNIS PORT (Massachusetts), August 5. President Kennedy has awarded the Government’s highest civilian honour to Dr. Frances Kelsey, the woman doctor who prevented the sale of the baby-deforming drug, thalidomide, on the American market.

She is to receive the award the President’s Federal Distinguished Civilian Service Medal, at a White House ceremony on Tuesday The announcement said the 48-year-old woman doctor, employed by the Food and Drug Administration, was being honoured for her “high ability and steadfast confidence in her professional decision" in withholding approval of the drug It said: “'Dr Kelsey’s action in resisting pressure for approval of the marketing of thalidomide has prevented a major tragedy of birth deformities in the United States" Dr Kelsey, who was born in Vancouver British Columbia. became a naturalised United States citizen in 1955 In Washington. Dr Kelsey said: “That's very nice . . . I’m very proud that he is doing this” Dr Kelsey said her husband and two teen-age daughters would go with her to the White House for the presentation ceremony. Thalidomide has been blamed for numerous deformed births in Europe and elsewhere. after tranquillising pills containing it were used by pregnant women The award was established in 1957 The only other woman, apart from Dr Kelsey, to receive it is Dr Haze) Steibling, an Agricultural Department employee, who was cited for her work on nutrition

The White House Press Secretary (Mr Pierre Salinger) said Dr Kelsey had been recommended for the award by the new Secretary of Health. Education and Welfare. Mr Anthony Cclebrezze

All supplies of thalidomide which the United States Government had been able to locate in the hands of doctors in the United States have been destroyed or impounded Mr Celebrezze has announced But he said that officials had not yet been able to trace 158 doctors out of a total of 1231 who were reported to have received supplies of the drug for Investigation purposes, the Associated Press reported Mr Celebrezze said the untraced doctors were either on holiday or had moved, but ’’diligent efforts” were being made to interview them as soon as they could be found He said that, on the basis of a report received from the Food and Drug Administration. 87 of 1073 doctor-investi-I gators Interviewed by the

agency’s inspectors still had some of the drug on hand “All such supplies have been either destroyed or impounded." he said Abort! >n Law In Britain, millions of television viewers heard a young general practitioner admit during a discussion on the law of abortion that he himself had run the risk of being prosecuted and struck off the medical register by performing three abortions. The doctor, who was unnamed. but identified himself as a member of the Abortion Law Reform Association, said: “Supposing a patient comes to me and says she wants an abortion because home conditions make it impossible for her to have the child "She says she lives In one room, already has three children. and her husband is on the dole. What am I to do? Am I to say 'Go away.’ and know she will go to a backstreet abortionist? "If I do something for her I know I run the risk of being prosecuted To be quite honest there have been three occasions on which I have performed abortions myself because I have felt so strongly about it. “My colleagues haven’t supported me and I have taken the risk myself I have been very, very frightened because I know that If anything did go wrong I might run the risk of being prosecuted "I should have been in the dock and completely on my own. running the risk of being struck off the register," he said.