Generations of women are calling for an urgent inquiry into the historic use of a breast milk drug that’s been linked to cancer, as ITV News’ Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker explains.
Last month, an ITV News investigation revealed that victims of the forced adoption scandal were exposed to Stilbestrol, commonly known as DES, to dry up their breast milk after their babies were taken.
However, the scale of harm caused may be much greater than first thought, as the controversial drug was also widely used across the NHS to treat several other issues, including preventing miscarriages.
Doctors and academics have estimated that between 10,000 and 300,000 women in the UK may have been exposed to it before it was banned in the late 70s, due to its sinister side effects.
In 1969, Ann was pregnant and unmarried. In the weeks leading up to her son’s birth, the 19 year old was sent away to a mother and baby home run by Anglican nuns in north London where she worked in the laundries and was told to pray for forgiveness.
Her son was placed in foster care at six weeks old. Desperate to keep him, Ann worked two jobs to save up enough money to find them a home.
But against her wishes, she says he was placed for adoption by the Church of England’s Children’s Society and social workers pressured her to sign the legal papers.
“I didn’t want to let him go. I loved him. They said it’s in his best interest. He’ll be well looked after by a loving mother and father. You can’t provide a father…and they said if I truly loved him, I’d sign the papers,” she said.
For Ann, who is now 76, there has been a double tragedy. She believes she may have been given the controversial drug Stilbestrol to dry up her breast milk.
“It was given to every single one of us as we left….they said to make us comfortable, they would give us an injection and some tablets to stop the breast milk, and I’m sure I said, ‘well, what is it?’ And they said, oh, don’t worry about that. It’s something, it will help you.”
Ann wants to know if the drug is to blame for her health problems; in her late 20s, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which left her unable to have any more children.
The Health Secretary Wes Streeting has described our findings as "extremely shocking" and said his department is looking "very seriously" at the allegations.
If you or anyone you know has been affected by this issue or has a story to share, you can get in touch by emailing: socialaffairs@itv.com
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