NORPLANT SETTLEMENT IN $50 MILLION RANGE

DALLAS, Aug 27 (LSN) – As LifeSite forecast in June, American Home Products Corp. and its subsidiary Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories have agreed to a settlement in a class action lawsuit by 40,000 US women regarding Norplant. In the agreement Wyeth-Ayerst maintains it has done no wrong but has agreed to pay each of the up to 50,000 women $1,500 each.  The women charged that the company underrated the severe side effects of the abortifacient birth control method, which include irregular menstrual bleeding, nausea, headaches and depression. Women suffering more serious side effects such as strokes are being urged to continue their suits. After paying the lawyer fees the remainder of the settlement would just about cover the cost of removal of the Norplant from the arms of its victims.  Norplant is a birth control method involving surgical insertion of six flexible matchstick-  size rods into the inner upper arm of a woman. The implants contain levonorgestrel, a progesterone-type drug, which is released slowly to prevent pregnancy for up to five years.  For more information on Norplant see ALL’s page:  https://www.all.org/issues/nf06.htm   For more on the Settlement see:  https://www.dallasnews.com/business/0826biz10norplant.htm   (with files from Pro-Life E-News Canada)