Subject: Health: Family & Parenting

Family Issues Series

6. 20th Century Child: Danger With Over-the-Counter Drugs

Best Documentary -Anthropos Film Festival
"Highly Recommended. An artistic portrayal of seven-year-old Anne Koller, who was born without a right arm or leg and only partial left arm, leg, and foot. There is minimal narration, and messages which contain facts about birth defects in general and Anne's life in particular. The cause of Anne's birth defects was the use of routine drugs prescribed during her mother's pregnancy. This is a very creative treatment of the subject." -VRG Review
Ever since the 1960s, when it was discovered that the prescription drug thalidomide, which pregnant women took for morning sickness, caused devastating birth defects in newborns, there has been justifiable concern about what prescription and over-the-counter drugs a woman may take during her pregnancy. This classic documentary presents an artistic portrayal of seven-year-old Anne Koller, who was born with birth defects; the cause of Anne's birth defects was the use of routine OTC drugs prescribed during her mother's pregnancy. Her story is equally important in the 21st century as it was in the late 20th century. Today, over 150,000 babies in the U.S. alone are born each year with a serious birth defect, and since the reasons for most are unknown it is simply good common sense, if you are pregnant or nursing, to seek the advice of a health professional before using any drugs of any kind. Produced by Morgan Thomas. 2010DR/CL JSCA 15 min.