Teratogens and Litogens

Abstract

In 1981, Katie Laurel Wells was born with a cleft lip, an optic-nerve defect, and limb abnormalities, including absence of the left arm. Her mother had used vaginal spermicides during the first four weeks after conception. In 1982, her parents brought suit against Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation, alleging that the malformations were caused by the spermicidal jelly.¹ The court awarded the plaintiffs $5.1 million. In May 1986, the ruling was upheld on appeal; the award was not substantially reduced.The Wells v. Ortho decision took the medical community by surprise, because the overwhelming body of evidence indicates that spermicides are not . . .