Paris, France — A French court ruled on September 19 that a handicapped girl should be compensated as doctors did not warn her mother that the child
she was carrying could be born disabled. The court claimed it denied her the possibility of having an abortion.
In the landmark case, an appeal court in Bordeaux, southwest France, used
a new law to rule 10-year-old Alicia and her parents should receive
compensation after doctors failed to warn them of the risks. Alicia was
born with physical and mental disabilities and has problems breathing.
Disabilities groups and the National Ethics Committee criticised the decision.
The court gave an initial estimates for compensation of around 600,000 francs ($85,000) for the family.
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