Fury after mothers get thousands in compensation -for healthy babies they tried to have aborted Mothers won huge payouts saying procedures to stop children went wron These include abortions despite then going on to have healthy babies Also received cash for pain during birth and discomfort of pregnancy Bishop of Rochester hit out saying mother should be thankful for a healthy child While Kirstie Allsop says that parents should think twice about suing NHS in these situations By Jonathan Petre and Stephen Adams for The Mail on Sunday At least 40 women have successfully sued the NHS despite giving birth to healthy babies Women have successfully sued the NHS for hundreds of thousands of pounds - despite giving birth to healthy babies. The mothers won the huge payouts after claiming that procedures to stop them having children - including abortions - went wrong. The women received the cash for reasons including the pain suffered in childbirth and the discomfort of pregnancy. Last night the former Bishop of Rochester, Michael Nazir-Ali, hit out at the move, saying: "A healthy child is an occasion for thanksgiving rather than for taking the NHS to the cleaners and using up precious funds which could otherwise be more usefully employed." And TV presenter and mother-of-two Kirstie Allsopp, who has urged women to have children while they are still young, said she understood that people who had suffered a serious medical malpractice or had a disabled child needed support, but added: "It seems to me that to be able to sue the NHS after the birth of a healthy baby is simply not something the majority of people would agree with. The NHS hasn't got an infinite amount of money. I think parents in that position should think twice. The successful legal claims have been made by at least 40 women over the past ten years. The figures, disclosed by Health Minister Daniel Poulter last month, show that, in the decade up to 2013, the NHS paid out more than £94 million in 164 cases of "wrongful births," most of which involved parents who had disabled children after a doctor negligently failed to warn them of the risk. But the parliamentary written answer also showed that, in the 104 such cases that have been finally settled, 40 involved the birth of perfectly healthy children - six after "failed terminations," 24 after "failed sterilisation," eight after a "failed contraceptive implant/procedure," one following a "failure to diagnose pregnancy" and one as a result of "inaccurate fertility advice." Lawyers who have dealt with cases say claimants can typically expect payouts of £15,000 to £40,000. First, they have to show the care they received fell below the expected standards. Then they can seek damages on the grounds of the "pain and suffering" experienced with an unwanted pregnancy. Many will claim for loss of earnings if their careers have been disrupted, and some will demand money for physical or psychological damage. Stephanie Prior, head of medical negligence at Osbornes solicitors, said she had dealt with a number of cases where women had given birth to healthy babies. In some, she said, women thought they had received a contraceptive implant, but the procedure had failed and they were not protected. "Most are young and are just starting or finishing university or just starting jobs, so they have not been able to pursue their degrees or their chosen careers," Ms Prior said. Medical experts said the failure rate of medical abortions, using drugs, was just under one per cent, while for surgical abortions it was much lower. They added that neither female sterilisation, nor a vasectomy, was absolutely reliable. However, women are warned of these risks and can only sue successfully if they show the standard of care received fell below that which could reasonably be expected. They cannot claim for the maintenance of their child. Last night, a Department of Health spokesman said: "We understand that cases like this are distressing for the patient, but they remain extremely rare."