Disabled by a drug, ignored by ministers, these children are abandoned
Catherine McNamara had to carry her son, Sebastian, in her arms for years. He was born with a curved spine and deformed limbs, making each step difficult. His disabilities were caused by sodium valproate, an anti-epilepsy drug she took while pregnant. It also left him with numerous learning difficulties.
In 2022, McNamara told The Sunday Times how every day was a struggle: “I’m not able to invest in myself, a career. I can’t buy a house. Just to meet everyday expenses is difficult because I can’t go out and get a job.”
Like thousands of mothers with valproate-affected children she wanted help for hers and to know they would get the care they needed throughout their life.
Three years on there has been silence from the government over whether it will compensate families harmed by valproate, a drug given to women for decades despite known risks that it could damage their unborn babies.
England’s patient safety commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, submitted a detailed report to ministers on how a compensation scheme could work 18 months ago. It, too, has been met with silence.
Hughes has demanded action on her report. “It should not take the government this long to respond. Every day’s delay intensifies the harm caused to these patients who have been harmed by the healthcare system,” she said.
Calls for compensation have also been backed by MPs from across the Commons. More than 100 parliamentary questions have been submitted on the topic since Hughes’s report.
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Source: The Times, 17 August 2025