The made-for-HBO film "A Private Matter" (which premieres Saturday at 9 p.m.) is based on a true case that became anything but.
In 1962, Sherri ChessenFinkbine, the host of the Phoenix "Romper Room" show, learned that her unborn child had been deformed because she unknowingly took the tranquilizer thalidomide. (The drug had caused severe birth defects when used by pregnant women in Europe, and Sherri's husband had brought some back from a trip to England.)
On the advice of her doctor, Sherri decided to have an abortion.
Although abortions were illegal at the time, except if the pregnancy threatened the life of the mother, had Finkbine kept quiet about it she undoubtedly could have had the procedure in Phoenix. But, hoping to warn other women of the dangers of Thalidomide (which was banned in the United States) Sherri spoke to a reporter, on the condition that her name not be revealed.
When her name did leak out, what ensued was a firestorm of publicity, controversy, even death threats. All this descending on a seemingly model American family - the Finkbines already had four children.
"Miss Sherri" was fired and her husband, a schoolteacher, was temporarily suspended from his job. The publicity made it impossible for Sherri to obtain an abortion in this country, so she finally flew to Sweden.
This is not the sort of topic you often see on television and almost never see on network television. But despite the controversial nature of the film, "A Private Matter" is thoughtful and well-written.
Sissy Spacek turns in a marvelous performance as Sherri, a woman determined to go through with the abortion despite her feelings of guilt. And Aidan Quinn is very good as her husband.
The two convey the external and internal struggles of making this decision, and living in the center of a media circus.
Their decision may not be one you agree with. (The film is pro-choice, but not stridently so.) But even if you disagree, this is a movie worth watching. - Scott D. Pierce