try to stop the pending approval of thalidomide by the FDA, speaking at the American College of Physicians, writing in journals and magazines, and testifying before Congress in 1967. Her and others' efforts paid off: the drug was banned in the United States and Europe. Retirement and death Taussig formally retired from Johns Hopkins in 1963, but continued to teach, give lectures, and lobby for various causes. In addition, she kept writing scientific papers (of the 129 total that Taussig wrote, 41 were after her retirement from Johns Hopkins). She advocated for the use of animals in medical research and for legalized abortion, as well as the benefits of palliative care and hospice. In 1977, Taussig moved to a retirement community in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Ever active, she continued making periodic trips to the University of Delaware for research work. At the time of her death, she was researching the genetic basis for congenital heart defects in birds. On May 20, 1986, four days short of her 88th birthday, Taussig was driving a group of friends to vote in a local election when her car collided with another vehicle at an intersection. She died about an hour later at Chester County Hospital, and donated her body to Johns Hopkins. Honors 1947: Chevalier (knight) of the Legion d'Honneur 1948: Passano Foundation Award for an outstanding contribution to medical science, shared with Alfred Blalock- the first time this award was shared, and the first time it was awarded to a woman 1953: Honorary medal from the American College of Chest Physicians 1954: Feltrinelli Award 1954: Albert Lasker Award for Outstanding Contributions to Medicine 1957: Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 1957: Eleanor Roosevelt Achievement Award 1960: Honorary fellow of the American College of Cardiology 1963: Gold Heart Award 1963: Achievement Award from the American Association of University Women 1964: Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Lyndon Johnson 1965: The University of Göttingen named its cardiac clinic in honor of Taussig 1965: First woman and first pediatrician to be elected president of the American Heart Association 1970: Blackwell Award from Hobart and William Smith Colleges 1971: Howland Award from the American Pediatric Society 1973: Elected to the National Academy of Sciences, 27 years after Blalock was elected for their joint work on the Blalock-Taussig shunt 1973: Elected to the American Philosophical Society 1973: Inducted into the National Women's Hall