MORE THAN WHAT THEY BARGAINED FOR- THE DALKON SHIELD
An intrauterine device or IUD is a form of contraception that is placed in the vagina of a woman. They can last for 3-6 years. The Dalkon Shield was an intrauterine device that was released in 1971. Just after 3 year of its release, the IUD had been recalled by the US FDA on the grounds that the device was both ineffective and unsafe. The women who used this IUD had been exposed to severe medical conditions, that creators and distributors of the device were aware of. Many of these women contracted pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), and many of these women died.
Women who did become pregnant after using this device lost their babies, more than half of the women who used the device experienced this. This IUD also sterilized women. Medical researchers deduced that the string that was attached to the Dalkon Shield IUD allowed for the spread of bacteria from the vagina to inside the uterus. As many as 200,000 women testified against this device in court.
A $2.4 billion trust fund was set up to compensate the women who were affected by use of the Dalkon Shield IUD. There were four options on how the affected women received compensation, and they had 30 days to select one. The first option was a $725 settlement if there were no medical records to support injury claims from use of the Dalkon Shield IUD. The second option was a $5,500 settlement if there was proof of medical complications but no proof that is was due to use of the Dalkon Shield IUD. The third option was to provide detailed medical proof of medical complications due to use of the Dalkon Shield IUD for larger settlements.
The last option was to delay any kind of settlement until more medical proof came forth in their case. Many women were not fond of the settlement amounts nor the terms to receive the settlements. A Dalkon Shield Women’s Support Group in Southern California led a protest aimed to pressure the trust to change its terms. Women across the country flooded Dalkon Shield hotlines with protest and personal accounts of life after use of the Dalkon Shield IUD. Accounts included women who underwent hysterectomies and women who had to undergo up to 10 operations.
Sources:
Kolata, G. (1987, December 06). THE SAD LEGACY OF THE DALKON SHIELD. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/06/magazine/the-sad-legacy-of-the-dalkon-shield.html (Figure 4 source)
Keylor, W. (2009). Dalkon Shield controversy. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://go-gale-com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/ps/i.do?p=GVRL
Williams, L. (1990, March 21). $2.4-Billion Dalkon Shield Payout Options Disclosed. Retrieved April 20, 2020, from https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-03-18-mn-1045-story.html
The Dalkon Shield. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2020, from https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft5489n9wd
Intrauterine device (IUD). (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2020, from https://case.edu/affil/skuyhistcontraception/online-2012/IUDs.html