While the drug Conter­gan was with­drawn from the market in Germany as early as 1961, the active ingre­di­ent thalido­mide contin­ued to be used in Brazil, partic­u­larly to treat leprosy. Inad­e­quate controls and insuf­fi­cient infor­ma­tion about the risks meant that, even in later decades, chil­dren were born with severe malfor­ma­tions caused by thalidomide.

In her book “Atrav­es­sando Fron­teiras”, published in 2011 (German: “Gren­zen über­schre­iten”), Rosân­gela Nasci­mento exam­ines this partic­u­lar chap­ter of the Conter­gan scan­dal. The subti­tle “Talido­mida, a impunidade continua” – “Thalido­mide, Impunity Contin­ues” – captures the book’s central message: in the author’s view, respon­si­bil­ity for the ongo­ing harm has still not been adequately addressed to this day.

Rosân­gela Nasci­mento, who was herself born in 1961 with thalidomide-related damage, has been campaign­ing for the rights of those affected for many years. As former Pres­i­dent of the Brazil­ian Asso­ci­a­tion of Thalido­mide Survivors (ABVT), she advo­cated in partic­u­lar for social recog­ni­tion, appro­pri­ate compen­sa­tion, and improved living conditions.

Her book combines personal expe­ri­ences with the polit­i­cal debate about the conse­quences of the phar­ma­ceu­ti­cal scan­dal. It draws atten­tion to the situ­a­tion of differ­ent gener­a­tions of thalido­mide survivors and high­lights how impor­tant effec­tive protec­tive measures, public aware­ness, and taking respon­si­bil­ity are.

“Atrav­es­sando Fron­teiras” thus opens up an inter­na­tional perspec­tive on the history of Conter­gan. The book is a reminder that the effects of the drug extend far beyond Germany and Europe—and that the strug­gle for recog­ni­tion and justice contin­ues to this day.

*****

Our tip:

At the “Egmond Circle”, Dr Christina Ding-Greiner will read from her book.

When: Friday, Octo­ber 30, 2026, 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Where: Abdi­jzaal, Hotel Zuiderduin