ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
In 1962, a pregnant young mother, Sherri Chessen, discovers the pill she is taking causes severe fetal anomalies. She is thrust into an international media storm for seeking an abortion.

SYNOPSIS
In 1962, Sherri Chessen was a young mother and hostess of The Romper Room show in Phoenix, Arizona. Pregnant for the fifth time, “Miss Sherri,” unwittingly took the teratogenic drug, thalidomide. Children were being born missing limbs and internal organs in Europe, Australia, and Canada. Abortion was illegal in Arizona, and the country. When she chose to end a troubled pregnancy, Sherri’s search for an abortion made worldwide headlines. Initially, Sherri’s abortion was quietly approved by a local hospital, but before the procedure, she spoke out to warn other women about thalidomide. Suddenly the county attorney threatened to prosecute, and the hospital abandoned her. Turned away at home, hounded by the press, condemned by the Vatican, she and her husband, Bob Finkbine, left the country for Sweden.

Journalist Linda Greenhouse writes, “Mrs. Finkbine’s plight, along with shocking photos of limbless babies, sparked widespread public discussion for the first time whether it made sense…for abortion to be treated as a crime.” The publicity from Sherri’s abortion helped Dr. Frances Kelsey block the FDA from approving the drug in the United States. For saving countless families the tragedy of thalidomide, President Kennedy awarded Dr. Kelsey the Civilian Service Medal of Honor. Sherri, meanwhile, was on her own.

Sherri Chessen is my mother. I was born after 1962. I owe my life to my mother’s abortion. Sixty years later, my mother talks about what has changed and what hasn’t. Sherri is a symbol for reproductive freedom—and a very real person. Her worst nightmare was on public display. For over half a century she has stood heartbroken, but strong. This is a film about how to be brave when it feels like the whole world is against you. It’s about not being shamed. This is my love letter to my mother.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Series (Short Form)

DIRECTOR Kristin Atwell Ford
PRODUCER Kristin Atwell Ford

ID: 429