17 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
17 lines
1.8 KiB
Plaintext
" a private matter " is based on the true story of sherri finkbine and the events in her life during the 1960s .
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after becoming pregnant ( for the fifth time ) she learns that some tranquilizers she had taken have seriously deformed her unborn child .
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she and her husband decide , with the help of her doctor , to have an abortion .
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but this is the 1960s , and abortion is illegal .
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her doctor has made arrangements to have the procedure performed withing the law , by claiming that the child is endangering the mother's life .
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everything is about to work out just fine , until sherri has the uncontrollable urge to talk about her situation with a local reporter .
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this sets off a media frenzy and immediately sherri is the most hated woman in the world .
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she and her husband are fired from their jobs , reporters are surrounding their home at all times , and most importantly , no one in the country ( and eventually other countries ) will perform the abortion .
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this causes emotion problems for all involved .
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" a private matter " is a fascinating story and it's hard to believe that this only happened 30 years or so ago .
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it's only flaw is that not once is there ever a satisfactory confrontation with sherri and any of her opponents .
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one woman passing her on the street telss her to burn in hell , and when sherri appropriately yells back , " just tell me what i'm supposed to do , " the woman has no answer .
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no one apparently had an answer , they just wanted to control what should have been only the choice of sherri and her husband .
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this is an important film , telling an important story .
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it's not just about not wanting another child , it's about not wanting a child who will cause severe changes in their family , none of which could be beneficial .
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sydney pollack served as executive producer for this made for hbo movie .
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