The Ledger

1.12 Life Choice

Abortion is a hot topic in this episode (1.12) in which a bomb explodes in an abortion clinic, killing a woman who may or may not have been the bomber. Greevey and Logan investigate in between arguments about abortion, and Robinette and Stone put aside their personal feelings to prosecute those responsible.

The episode begins with two officers, a man and a woman, on patrol, discussing marriage and the role of women. They pull up outside an abortion clinic, where protesters are picketing. The abortion clinic receives a bomb threat over the phone, and the officers investigate. Just after they evacuate the building, the bomb detonates (on camera, which is rare), and the building is on fire.

Greevey and Logan arrive in the aftermath to investigate and learn that from the bomb expert that a pipe bomb was to blame, and that the building was not entirely empty when the bomb exploded: a young woman, identified as Sandra Taylor, was killed. They recover $300 and a student id from her body.

They attempt to track down Taylor's family via the ID, but it turns out that her school, University of Manhattan, has no record of her. The ID is fake.

On Cragen's advice, they visit local pro-life activist groups, and encounter the leader of one, Ms Schwimmer. Ms Schwimmer says she was having brunch at the time of the bombing. After having their second argument about abortion, Greevey (pro-life) and Logan (pro-choice) go to the restaurant to check Schwimmer's alibi. The waitress there says Schwimmer had a female friend with her, and that friend was carrying a package.

They encounter a police tow truck towing cars away from the scene of the crime, and realize that one of these cars could belong to the victim, which would lead them to a positive id. The strategy works, and they id the victim as Mary Donovan, 22. They talk to her parents, who identify the body at the ME's office. As they see her, the father says the "Our Father."

The parents say Mary belonged to a pro-life group, so it looks like she is their bomber, but didn't get out in time. They search her room and find a picture of her brother, who works for a lumber company. They figure lumber means construction, construction means explosives, so they go to question him. He's distraught, but mildly combative.

They visit St Aloytius, the Catholic school where she taught. They talk to her boyfriend Patrick, also a teacher at the school. They reinterview Schwimmer, who says she had brunch that day with a young woman named Ms. McClure.

They find McClure at the community garden. In the trash can there, they find an empty bag for fertilizer. They learn the fertilizer is not necessary in NYC and is better suited for tropical climates and ... explosives.

Greevey and Logan have yet another argument about abortion and Greevey snaps at Logan. Back at the precinct, they fight again, and Logan stands up and starts yelling at Greevey. Cragen breaks it up with the news that prints on the fertilizer bag match prints on the bomb. They should go pick up McClure.

They talk to Stone and Robinette about the case. Greevey continues to semi-defend the bombing and excuses himself. Logan tells Stone that McClure wants to be a martyr, so he should just make a deal with her.

McClure is arraigned (31'), represented by her lawyer, Mr Ballard. Judge Sirkin oversees the proceedings.

Stone, Robinette, and Schiff discuss the case. Stone reveals he is personally opposed to abortion, but suggests he doesn't think it should be illegal. Stone meets with McClure, and she is unintimidated by the prospect of going to jail for six years for her role in the bombing.

But Stone things someone else ordered the bombing. He suspects Schwimmer but wants confirmation. They decide that since they can't pressure McClure into testifying against Schwimmer, they should try to get Schwimmer to feel guilty about hanging McClure out to dry. It sort of works, but not quite well enough.

Robinette visits Mary Donovan's parents, and the mother is upset that her daughter had chosen to be a martyr instead of a living human being. The father is content with the martyrdom. The mother says that Donovan had a fight with her boyfriend the morning of the bombing, and Kevin, Mary's brother, broke it up.

Patrick's prints are found on the fake ID, suggesting he had a role in the bombing. They arrest him (43') and bring him in for questioning, alongside Kevin. Patrick says he can prove he is innocent and begins to suggest that Mary was there to get an abortion. Kevin punches him in the face and is arrested. Patrick later confirms that Mary was pregnant and went there not to bomb the clinic but to get an abortion.

So it looks like McClure and Schwimmer were the conspirators behind the bombing. They tell McClure they're going to charge her with Murder 2. Finally she agrees to testify against Schwimmer, saying Schwimmer was the mastermind.

Schwimmer is arraigned (50') and stands trial (51'). It looks like the trial is going relatively well for Stone, but Schwimmer refuses to cut a deal with him, and then further messes up her own case by insisting that she testify on her own behalf. She begins her testimony by essentially admitting her guilt, but saying she is innocent "before God." Then she starts a lot of speech-making and the episode seems to veer off a realistic course. As the judge calls for her removal from the courtroom, Stone steps up to her and says, "I have one question, your honor." Even though her defense has not yielded to him. So Stone says, "If you believe that murder of a fetus is wrong, weren't you guilty of murder when your bomb killed Mary Donovan's unborn child?" Gotcha! Schwimmer wilts, and the rest is inevitable: she is found guilty of Murder 2 and Arson 2.

As the episode ends, Stone comments to Robinette on the ironies of the law: a few years ago, before abortion was legal, the abortionists would have been the murdered, and "if the law hadn't changed," those people would be on trial. Robinette says, "And if the law hadn't changed, I'd still be a slave."

The episode is notable mainly because I think it's the first time we see some interesting things: fierce debate about the episode's political theme and an on-camera explosion.

Also, Camryn Manheim shows up for about 3 seconds as an assistant to Ms. Schwimmer.

Posted by adm at December 5, 2004 12:47 AM

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