Sharon

I’m sharing my story about how I used the money from a class action suit against A.H. Robins Co. because their IUD product, the Dalkon Shield, led to so many women like myself having tubal infections and sterility. They knew about the high rate of PID (Pelvic Inflammatory Disease) leading to tubal scarring, but hid the data. If I understand correctly, the main problem was the design of the strings which were not a monofilament, making it easy for bacteria to enter the uterus and fallopian tubes. The money almost paid for my attempts at in vitro fertilization which were finally successful (4 tries and in the end with donated eggs); my son is now 26. The cost was about $90,000. No woman should have as much grief with PID and trying to conceive! Big Pharma can be deadly as well as greedy. On a side note, my health insurance didn’t pay for ANY of my delivery/hospital expenses because of deductibles and copays! I am a rural Family Physician, working in a “need” area, so not rich. California’s Medicaid (Partnership for Health) on the other hand is excellent for Maternal and Child health, and I hope that through continued diligent work we can win “Medicare for All”, starting with California if necessary.