Clare Disability Activist Calls For State Apology To Thalidomide Sufferers

Clare FM

A Clare disability activist insists a state apology to thalidomide sufferers is the best way to honour the legacy of the late Leigh Gath. The HSE has paid tribute to the Newry native and thalidomide sufferer who passed away at her Limerick home over the weekend, saying she "campaigned for equality on many fronts, particularly for people living with disability". Gath led a sleep-out outside the Department of the Taoiseach in 2012 to protest against cuts in personal assistance for people with disabilities and in 2014 became the first office holder of the position of confidential recipient for HSE-funded services. Ennistymon native, Clare Leader Forum spokesperson and friend of Gath, Ann Marie Flanagan, says after a lifetime of work, the State must acknowledge its past mistakes regarding thalidomide.