Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has formally apologised to survivors of the thalidomide pharmaceutical tragedy that harmed 10,000 babies globally in the 1950s and 1960s.
Thalidomide, prescribed to pregnant women for anxiety, morning sickness, and insomnia, led to severe birth defects despite promises of safety.
Babies were born with shortened limbs, blindness, deafness, or malformed organs, and many women experienced miscarriages or lost their babies shortly after birth.
Mr. Albanese said sorry to all survivors and their families on behalf of the country and parliament on the 62nd anniversary of thalidomide’s withdrawal in Australia, acknowledging that the apology was long overdue.
“We apologise for the pain thalidomide has inflicted on each and every one of you, each and every day,” Mr. Albanese said.
He acknowledged survivors who faced bullying at school, trauma at home, job rejections, and health issues.
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“We are more sorry than we can say” for “all the cruelty you have had to bear” and “opportunities you have been denied,” he said.
He mentioned that the system “failed” parents who endured decades of knowing their children’s lives were more difficult than they should have been.
“We are sorry you have suffered your own hurt, even though what happened is not your fault, and it never was,” he said.
Meanwhile, he acknowledged the unborn babies who deserved an apology but did not live to see the day.
“We offer our respect to their memories, and we extend our deepest sympathies to their families and friends,” he said.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton praised the government and also apologised to survivors in parliament.
“We make this national apology as an expression of a historical dereliction of duty, an affirmation of a recognition of responsibility, as a proclamation of a profound sense of regret,” he said.
“For so many parents, that most magical and joyful moment of childbirth turned into one of consternation and constant heartbreak.”
Afterward, parliament had a minute of silence to honour those lost in the tragedy.
Rectifying Past Inactions
Nevertheless, Mr. Albanese acknowledged that the apology cannot compensate for years of government inaction, particularly the absence of a proper system to evaluate the safety of medicines in the 1950s.He said that importing thalidomide was not prohibited even after the grave dangers of the drug were known.
“Selling it was not banned. Products and samples in surgeries and shops were not comprehensively recalled or entirely destroyed,” he said.
“Saying sorry does not excuse this, or erase it. But our Australian commitment to a fair go for all demands that we try,” he said.
Therefore, he announced the reopening of the Australian Thalidomide Survivors Support Program, initially established by the former Morrison government.
This program will provide lifelong support with a one-time payment for pain and suffering and ongoing annual payments.
“To date, 148 survivors have received this support,” he said.
He said that moving forward, the assistance will not remain fixed but increase.
The National Apology
In the aftermath of the thalidomide pharmaceutical tragedy, a senate inquiry in 2019 made recommendations on a national apology.The Senate report found that if the government had acted promptly in the 1950s when thalidomide was linked to birth defects, 20 percent of survivors may have been spared.
Numerous survivors pushed for an apology, expressing the profound impact on their lives.
One of those survivors and Thalidomide Group Australia founder, Lisa McManus, reflecting on her experience, expressed that the government would not have apologised without persistent advocacy.
“It was almost like we happened, then we didn’t exist, and we don’t exist, and it’s been a long and arduous battle and certainly one that should have never had to have been fought,” she told ABC News radio ahead of the apology.
She added no one gave an apparent reason for the extended delay in apologising.
“Even in those early days ten years ago when I started this campaign to get an apology from the Australian government, the health department staff said to me, ‘Lisa, you’ll never ever get an apology from the Australian government.'”
Thalidomide’s Surprising Turn
Following its removal from the market in the 1960s, scientists discovered that thalidomide could be used to treat diseases of the immune system.
Specifically, for cancer treatment, the drug offers a more precise therapy than standard chemotherapy, with multiple ways of impacting cancer cells.
In Australia, thalidomide is subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
However, the drug’s birth defect risk is still cautioned.Both men and women who are taking thalidomide are educated on the risks to an unborn child and are asked strictly not to reproduce while taking thalidomide.
The manufacturer has a pregnancy prevention programme in place to ensure that thalidomide is stored, prescribed, handled, and taken safely.
