A Private Matter (1992)

Set in 1962 Arizona, a popular hostess (Sissy Spacek) of a local children's TV show is pregnant with her fifth child. But when she discovers that the sedative she had been taking during her pregnancy called thalidomide has been proven to cause severe deformation of the fetus, she seeks out an abortion which was still illegal in the early 1960s unless the mother's life was in danger. Based on the true story of Sherri Finkbine and directed by Joan Micklin Silver (HESTER STREET). Social issue movies like this are often problematic. While they serve a purpose in dramatizing important issues like abortion, racial discrimination, women's rights, etc., they are often too didactic in nature and even if you're on the side of the issue, it can be as dry as a professor's lecture. Silver does a decent job of getting the work done but it's the performances that keep you watching. Spacek does wonders with her part in going beyond the polemics of the dialogue and infusing her character with a complicated emotional life. Strong performances by Aidan Quinn and Estelle Parsons as her husband and mother respectively. With William H. Macy, Carla Gugino, Xander Berkeley and Sheila McCarthy.