DES scandal ignored for too long, says Bournemouth MP in letter to Health Secretary
Bournemouth West MP Jessica Toale is fighting for families affected by the pregnancy drug DES
Bournemouth West MP Jessica Toale is leading the charge for justice over a pregnancy drug scandal that’s affected generations.
She’s spearheading a cross-party campaign demanding urgent government action for victims of the pregnancy drug Diethylstilbestrol (DES), following the heart-wrenching testimony of a local family.
Toale has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting with the backing of 36 MPs from across party lines, calling for justice for those harmed by DES - an anti-miscarriage drug prescribed to around 300,000 women in the UK between 1939 and 1978. Despite growing evidence of harm from the 1950s, the drug continued to be administered in the UK long after it was banned in several other countries.
The campaign was prompted by the story of Jan Hall, a Bournemouth resident whose mother, Rita, was prescribed DES during pregnancy.
Rita died from breast cancer at 32, while Jan developed cervical cancer in her twenties. Now, Jan’s daughters face ongoing gynaecological problems.
“Hearing Jan’s story – and the pain this drug has caused to her, her mother, and now her daughters – brought home the human cost of DES,” said Toale. “Families are still suffering, and many don’t even know they may be at risk.”
The letter calls for a formal government apology, improved screening, increased medical awareness and support for identifying those exposed. It also urges further research into the drug’s generational impact.
A recent investigation revealed that DES continued to be prescribed on the NHS nearly a decade after its ban elsewhere, with widespread ignorance among medical professionals contributing to misdiagnoses and inadequate care.
While other countries such as Australia have implemented targeted support programmes, the UK has yet to act decisively.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our sympathies are with anyone harmed by the historic use of Diethylstilboestrol (DES).
“The Secretary of State has been clear he will look seriously at these allegations, and the government will continue to consider enhanced screening for those impacted by the use of this drug.”