A woman who sued the GP who allowed her to be born has divided opinions after appearing on This Morning.
Evie Toombes appeared on the ITV show to speak about her decision to sue her mother’s GP for damages for ‘wrongful conception’.
Toombes, from Lincolnshire, was born with spina bifida - a condition where a baby's spine and spinal cord fail to develop in the womb which causes a gap - and now has to use a wheelchair for large amounts of time.
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Toombes was awarded compensation last year, with a judge finding that Toombes' mother was ‘not advised’ properly about the link between folic acid and the prevention of spina bifida/neural tube defects.
The exact figure for the compensation payout has not been shared, but Toombes' lawyers did not dispute it would be a significant sum, likely into the millions.
Speaking to hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby she explained: "This is the case of a GP, who actually admitted to giving advice that was negligent.
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"My mum specifically went to advice before conceiving because she was coming off the pill and wanted to make sure everything was OK.
"She didn't have a family of her own - usually you'd probably go to your mum - she didn't have her mum to go to so just wanted to talk to the GP and find out if everything was OK."
She added: "And when she went, she specifically asked about if she needed to take folic acid.
"Right there and then, the GP said folic acid wasn't necessary and then what transpired when I was born, and my mum was looking to have a second child and make sure if there was anything she could do to prevent it again, that actually she should have been told about folic acid."
But her decision to sue the doctor left some viewers feeling ‘uneasy’.
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Posting on Twitter, one person said: "This story sets a very uneasy precedent where doctors won’t be allowed to give their own educated and qualified opinions to their patients and are forced to stick to what they are told to say by those above them.”
Another said: “No matter how many supplements or vitamins you take your baby could still be born with an illness or disability.
“To take the GP to court when the health service is already on its knees… a health service she’ll need having a condition… is beyond belief.”
However, others thought Toombes had made the right decision.
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One viewer wrote: "Can’t tell if people are too thick to understand why she’s taken a case to court, or just think they are being funny.
"She’s suing because she was born with a debilitating, painful disability that could have been avoided, if her mother's doctor gave the correct advice."
Another said: "Clearly the judge felt there was neglect by the GP, as he awarded her millions in damages."
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