§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are satisfied with the recent report by the Committee on Safety of Medicines, clearing the contraceptive pill of cancer risks, in view of the statement by Mr. Herbert Wendel of the Department of Pharmacology, Oregon University, U.S.A., suggesting that the deductions in the report were fallacious.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY (LORD ABERDARE)Yes, my Lords. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Social Services is satisfied that the deductions of the Committee on Safety of Medicines in their report on Carcinogenicity Tests of Oral Contraceptives are sound.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, while thoroughly approving of every method of birth control, with the exception of the pill, so far, may I ask the noble Lord whether he would not agree that information from countries all over the world regarding the side effects of the pill is now reaching the medical journals? The latest warning was the one I pointed out to him yesterday regarding infertility. Does he therefore say that we should disregard the experts in other countries, particularly having regard to the fact that it was an American expert 600 who warned the world against thalidomide?
§ LORD ABERDAREMy Lords, we have our own experts in the Committee on Safety of Medicines, and, as I tried to point out yesterday to the noble Baroness, this is a Committee which came into being precisely because of the disaster with the thalidomide children. The Committee have carried out some very careful testing over several years, and in their report they came to the conclusion that there were no risks of carcinogenicity in the pill. While recognising that there have been criticisms elsewhere in the world of various aspects of the pill, we believe that these tests were correct, properly carried out and sound.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, if I may put one further supplementary question, may I ask the noble Lord whether he read the article in the British Medical Journal which I pointed cut to him yesterday and which showed that the degree of infertility in women who have used these pills for some time was very high?
§ LORD ABERDAREYes, my Lords. I read that article as a result of the question asked by the noble Baroness. Of course it is not referred to in this Question so I am not fully briefed about it, but I understand that whereas there may be some truth in what is said, this is not a type of infertility which cannot be put right by other means.
§ BARONESS GAITSKELLMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether it is not true that there are millions of women in the world—in America—and thousands of women in this country who are taking the pill; that the risks have been proved to be minimal, and that one has only to look among one's own children and young friends to see that infertility is not rampant?
§ LORD ABERDAREYes, my Lords. I am very glad to be able to agree with the noble Baroness.
§ LORD SEGALMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether there is any satisfactory alternative to the pill that is of such universal application, especially in the developing countries?
§ LORD ABERDARENot within my knowledge, my Lords; but that does seem to be another question.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, has the noble Lord observed that since the announcement made by the Government the pharmaceutical industry has decided to produce six more types of the pill?
§ LORD ABERDARENo, my Lords, I have not.