Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–…): Season 7, Episode 9 - Rockabye - full transcript

(male announcer)
In the criminal justice system,

sexually based offenses are
considered especially heinous.

In New York City,
the dedicated detectives

who investigate
these vicious felonies

are members
of an elite squad

known as
the Special Victims Unit.

These are their stories.

(woman, screaming)
Ow!

Don't!

[loud smack]

No!



What's that noise?

Who cares?
Turn it up.

(woman)
No!

No way can I do that.

I gotta be in Buffalo
by tomorrow night.

(woman)
Don't!

Stop!

Come on, hurry up.

No!

[glass smashes]

Aaah!

Aaah!

Oh!

Hey.
Hey!



I already paid!

(woman)
No!

[body falls]

What's going on?

Hey!

[groaning]

Are you okay, honey?

Help me.

[phone buttons beeping]

What about my 50 bucks?

Go to hell!

A girl's been attacked.

(Fin)
Beaten, robbed,

left half naked
on the floor.

EMT took her
to Saint Vincent's.

Elliot's on his way there.

Hooker's the only one
that heard anything.

He was hitting on her,

and she was hollering,
"Stop, don't".

When I went in, he ran out
past me with her purse.

You see his face?

Just a glimpse.
But he was white.

Thank you.

He beat her with the lamp.

Perp was cold.

Took off the bulb
and the shade first.

You get an ID?

No.
Probably in her purse.

Manager said her name
is Jane Smith.

(Benson)
You check her ID?

Why should I?
She paid cash.

She come in here
with anyone else?

She checked in
about two weeks ago.

She have any visitors?

Heh.
It's none of my business.

Your business is running
a whorehouse.

You want us
to haul your ass in?

All I know is she, uh,
made a bunch of calls

from the payphone
in the lobby.

[cell phone ringing]
Kept buggin' me

for change.

It's Elliot.

Second the nurse's back was
turned, our girl grabbed

some clothes
from the next bed...

gray sweats,
a brown jersey.

The she went for a walk
down the corridor--

Pause that.

Blow it up.

[computer beeping]

Then she slipped out
a side entrance.

She's gone.

(Stabler)
She told the E.R. her name
was Jane Smith,

just like at the hotel.

She walk out
under her own steam?

Yeah, but the doc
said she took

a helluva beating
to her thighs and torso.

There was vaginal bleeding.

So she could have
internal injuries.

They do a rape kit?

They only drew blood.

She split before
they could finish.

Well, it sounds like
she was turning a trick,

John stole her purse.

Maybe he's an addict.

Or could be a pimp who roughed
her up for working his game.

(Munch)
She hasn't been
working here long.

CSU found
a one-way bus ticket

crumpled in a wastebasket.

Two weeks old
from Palassi, Virginia.

Runaway.

Comes to New York, uses up
her money, goes on the game.

I faxed her E.R. photo

to the sheriff in Palassi.

It's a small town,
he knows her.

Name is Lauren Westley, 16.

Her dad filed a Missing Persons
report two days ago.

Two weeks after his kid skips?
What was he waiting for?

Don't know, I left a message

on the home phone
for him to call.

I dumped the roach motel's
payphone.

Nothing too interesting
in the last

two days except
for eight calls to

the Manhattan Woman's
Sexual Health clinic.

Doesn't exactly
narrow it down.

I mean, you got 20 hookers
working out of that hotel.

(Cragen)
The best lead we got.

Let's check it out
first thing in the morning.

(Stabler)
We're looking for this girl.

Her name is Lauren Westley.

Judy, give us a moment.

I have seen her.

She said her name
was Jane Smith.

Did something happen
to her?

She was attacked.

Possibly sexually assaulted.

Why did she
come here?

I can't tell you that.

Patient-doctor confidentiality.

Well, you treat

sexually transmitted diseases.

Was that it?

I'm sorry,
I can't say.

Okay, Lauren's missing,
and she needs medical attention.

I wish I could

help you, but Lauren refused
to leave a phone number.

Dr. Lett,
the E.R. drew blood.

We can make them test it.

Well, do what you have to.

I promise if she contacts me,
I'll have her call you.

You have a card?

(Cragen)
Nothing from the patrols.

Fin is out looking
with his Vice buddies.

You still think Lauren
was hooking?

Makes sense.
And now with the clinic--

You know, John sees fresh meat,
he wants to ride bareback.

Next thing, she's got
gonorrhea or chlamydia.

Or worse,
syphilis or HIV.

Any word from Lauren's dad?

Duty officer said he called
at 2:00 a.m.

after he got our message.

Been here since 5:30.

(Philip)
That's Lauren in the middle,
the blonde.

It's the school choir.

I thought the tape might help,
you know, for the media.

It will.

Mr. Westley,

why'd you wait two weeks
to report her missing?

She said she was coming here
to visit a friend's family

and have a look at colleges.

I put her on a bus.
Gave her some money.

You didn't call
to make sure she's okay?

She called me.

Told me she was having fun.

And then three days ago,
she stopped calling.

I checked
with her friends, and...

none of them
had even spoken to her.

So I came here myself
and started looking.

Could she have come here
with a boyfriend?

Lauren doesn't date.

You sound very sure.

I am.

She made the Golden Promise.

(Stabler)
Golden Promise?
What's that?

Kids pledge to abstain
from sexual activity

until they're married.

Oh.

You know, Mr. Westley,

sometimes kids run away
because there are, uh...

problems at home.

Well, Lauren's mother passed
away ten years ago.

But it only made us closer.

(Stabler)
Okay, well, we'll talk

to her friends and see
if they know anything.

Whatever you need to do.

Please just find her.

E.R. faxed over Lauren's
blood results.

No sign of infection,
but her HCG was positive.

She's pregnant.

They tested
for hormone levels,

and she's well into
her second trimester.

Think she went to that clinic
to get an abortion.

Explains why the doctor
won't talk to us.

(Cragen)
Manhattan Woman's Sexual
Health Clinic listed

under abortion services.

So much for
the Golden Promise.

(Munch)
Yeah, like that
was ever gonna work.

One look

at a Britney Spears video,
and the Golden Promise

goes out the bedroom window.

Abstinence is baloney.

I read the number
of high school teenagers

having sex has dropped.

Well, I guess you haven't read
about the high school

in Ohio where a fifth
of the students got pregnant.

Guess what they were taught
in Sex Ed?

You two can fight the cultural
wars on your own time.

Why would somebody come
all the way to New York

for an abortion?

Because Virginia law

requires teens get
parental consent

before they terminate
a pregnancy.

And if she's
Daddy's little girl,

he's the last person
in the world she'd tell.

Yeah, and you know who else
was in town last night?

Pregnant.

How long?

Four or five months.

She must've been raped.

Some son-of-a-bitch
raped her.

It's possible.

Probably the guy
who beat her up.

You have to catch
the bastard.

You were in the city
last night.

Where were you about 8:30?

8:30, I--

You think I would hurt
my own daughter?

Did you?
No.

So where were you
8:30 last night?

I was having a bite to eat.

I have the credit card receipt.

My daughter was raped.

And you people are actually
accusing me

of attacking her?!

[knock, door opens]

Olivia, Fin needs you.

(Fin)
Vice found Lauren hiding out

in one of the cars.

She's in a bad way.

How did Vice know
where to look?

Working girls use this place
when they're on the run.

Smash out a window, at least
they got a place to sleep.

There's blood
all over the seat.

(Benson)
Attacker must've
caught up with her.

Pick up her dad and bring him
to the hospital.

How is she?

(EMT)
Lost a lot of blood.

I'll ride with her.

(Benson)
Keep all of her clothes.

We know the drill.

Lauren, it's okay.

You're at the hospital.

I'm a police officer.

Can you tell me
who did this to you?

Later!

(EMT)
15-year-old female,
possible internal hemorrhage.

One liter saline
in the field.

How is she?

Don't know yet.

What did CSU
get from the car?

Some food. Wheat bread,
turkey, and tomatoes.

Doesn't sound like
a hooker's chips and donuts.

We even found a plate,

plastic knife and fork,
and a rose.

Where'd she buy
all that?

We're canvassing
the local stores.

[door opens]

I'm her father.

How is she?

She has massive
internal bleeding.

The beating lacerated
her liver, forming a blood clot.

It burst today.

If the detectives
hadn't found her

when they did,
she would've died.

We're about to send her up

to the O.R.

But the anesthesia will increase
the risk to the fetus.

The baby's still alive?

Has a heartbeat.

But the drop in
the mother's blood pressure

is causing fetal distress.

If we start to lose the baby,

do we have your permission
to do an emergency C-section?

Will the baby survive?

24 weeks...
40 or 50% chance.

Save my daughter.

She's crashing.

Let's bag her.

(Stabler)
The question is,

if Lauren was here
for two weeks,

why didn't she get
the abortion?

Maybe she decided
to keep the baby.

Which pissed
the baby's father off.

Lauren made it.

But the baby didn't.
It was stillborn, a girl.

Go talk to the clinic.

Find out if Lauren
went there by herself.

We need to speak
with Dr. Lett.

He's with a patient.
What's this about?

Lauren Westley.

We can't discuss
our patients.

She lost her baby.
Someone battered it to death.

Nearly killed Lauren
in the process.

That's horrible.

Now, did she
come in here alone?

Yes.

You better come in.

Like many young women
in her position,

Lauren wasn't sure
what she wanted to do.

Was she being pressured
into having the abortion?

I believe so.

By the baby's father?

She ever mention him?

Only to say that he didn't
want the baby.

As it turned out,
he had no choice.

When I examined her,
I found that legally,

I couldn't perform
the abortion.

She was over 24 weeks.

You're sure?

I did an ultrasound

and she told me
the date of conception.
[cell phone rings]

How did Lauren react?

Stabler.
She was upset,

naturally.

I encouraged her
to talk to her parents.

When did you see her?

Uh...

Monday afternoon.

The day she was attacked.

It's Munch.
He's got something.

We got security camera film
from the store

three blocks from the parking
lot where Lauren was found.

Shows a white kid,
16 or 17 buying food and drink.

(Fin)
Exactly the same things

that we found in the car
with Lauren.

Here's the romantic bit--

He bought her the rose.

Classic batterer behavior--

He nearly beats her to death,

then buys her flowers
to say he's sorry.

I'll fax his pretty mug out
to the sheriff in Palassi.

I want to check
something first.

It's the same kid.

(Munch)
Two Golden Promises broken.

We gotta get Lauren
to talk.

While you're there,
ask her about her sister.

Sheriff says
she used to have one.

Used to?
What, is she dead?

Good as.

She got pregnant,
Dad threw her out the house.

Just like that?

Yeah, he gave her some money,

said he never wanted
to see her again.

Who is he, Lauren?

His name's Wayne Mortens.
Did he do this?

Did he rape you?

I don't want
to talk about it.

(Benson)
Lauren.

You almost died.

Tell them, sweetheart.

Tell them what he did to you.

Mr. Westley, please.
Why don't we go outside?

I'm staying right here.

No, let's talk outside.

How well does Lauren
know Wayne?

He's a year ahead of her.

Gives her a ride
to school sometimes.

He been in any trouble?

His dad's in the Army,
his mother's a nurse.

He's on his own a lot.

What difference does it make?
He raped my daughter.

You should be out there
looking for him.

We don't know
that he did rape her.

He got her pregnant.

Mr. Westley,

you gotta start considering
the possibility

that Lauren had
consensual sex.

Lauren would never do that.
She'd never betray me.

What if she was too scared
to tell you?

Why would she be
scared of me?

After what you did
to her sister?

Now, that's none
of your business.

So why don't you just do your
damn job and catch the bastard?

First we gotta find him.

Do you have a number
for his parents?

I have Wayne's
cell phone number.

If I get stuck at work,

I call him,
he gives Lauren a ride home.

There.

[buttons beeping]

What are you doing?

Calling him.

Are you crazy?
You're gonna scare him off!

Is that Wayne?

Hey, this is Elliot Stabler
from St. Vincent's Hospital.

Lauren asked me to call.

She's doing fine.

She's in room 210.

(Benson)
Is Wayne the baby's father?

Yes.

Did he rape you?

I don't want to talk
about it.

Lauren...

talking about it
is gonna help you.

Did Wayne force you

to have sex with him?

We didn't mean
for it to happen.

The nurse

said that I had a little girl.

I want to see her.

I'm sorry.

Please.

The medical examiner

took her away so they could
figure out what happened.

Lauren.

Did you want to keep
this baby?

The doctor said
that I had to.

That I was too far along.

Wayne didn't want to hear that,
so he got angry.

Yes.

And he started hitting you.

Um, hi, I'm looking
for room 210.

Wayne Mortens?

Hey.

Hey, slow down!

Police!
Stop him!

Wayne Mortens,
you're under arrest.

You have the right
to remain silent.

If you give up that right,

anything you say can and will
be used against you

in a court of law.

It's not looking
too good for you there, Wayne.

Now, why'd you have Lauren's
wallet in your pocket

when we caught you?

Because you stole it
after you beat her so hard

that you killed her baby.

Why'd you want to get rid
of the baby?

Did you make her come

to New York
to get an abortion?

(lawyer)
You don't have to answer that.

(Benson)
The doctor tells you
it's too late to abort.

You realize that you're
gonna be a daddy,

so you took that lamp,
and you beat her--

All right!
(lawyer)
Shut up, Wayne.

It wasn't Lauren's fault.
Wayne--

I did it, I hit her.

I'd like to speak
to the ADA.

(lawyer)
He's a decent kid who got

caught up in a terrible
situation and panicked.

(Benson)
He was calm enough

to remove the bulb and the shade
from the lamp

before he used it
to batter his girlfriend.

Extreme emotional distress.

Misdemeanor assault.
Five years probation.

He killed a baby, Mr. Delroy.
That's murder.

The fetus was stillborn.

That's not even a person
under New York law.

So you can't charge him
with murder.

At the very least,
your client committed

first degree assault
against Lauren

and an unjustified abortional

act on the fetus.

I am taking this to trial.

And if the autopsy proves

that that baby took a single
breath outside the womb,

I will charge Wayne
with murder.

The fetus had a fractured skull
and multiple contusions

consistent with a beating.

More than 20 blows.

20 blows, but only
a fractured skull?

Baby's bones are still forming,
so they're hard to break.

What was the cause of death?

Technically,
it was hypertension.

The mother's internal bleeding
decreased the blood flow

across the placenta
to the fetus.

No blood, no oxygen.
The baby suffocated.

As a result
of Wayne's beating.

Yes.

Did the baby draw breath
after it was born?

I did a hydrostatic test
on the lungs.

The alveoli had not expanded.

She was dead before she left
her mother's body.

So according to New York law,
she's not a person.

And you can't charge Wayne
with murder.

There is something else.

I checked Lauren's
hospital records.

They took photos of the bruising
on her abdomen.

The bruising match
the lamp?

Mostly.

Are you saying another person
was involved?

Or another weapon.
So I checked with CSU.

They didn't find anything
matching these marks.

Could be a watch
or a bracelet.

Wayne wasn't wearing
any jewelry.

I mean, look at this.

The only way to raise
a bump like that

is you would have to be...

hitting yourself.

Lauren, did you try to stop
Wayne from attacking you?

Yes.
Can't this wait?

My father's just renting a car.
He'll be back soon.

You were pretty scared.

Is that why you ran away
from the E.R.,

to get away from Wayne?

Yes.

Well, then why did you let him
buy you food

when you were hiding
in the car?

He found me.

Really?

It's a pretty big city.
How'd he do that?

I don't know.

You don't know?
You called him.

You called him, Lauren.

After he nearly
beat you to death.

Look, I didn't know
what else to do.

I was hurting so bad.
I don't have anyone else.

Please just leave me alone.

What the hell is this?

Just asking Lauren
a few questions.

What else is there to ask?

Lauren, did you try
to harm your baby?

Of course she didn't.

Did you?
No.

(Benson)
Lauren.

Do you always wear
this watch?

Yes.

(Philip)
What does that have to do

with anything?

Matches the bruise pattern
on your stomach.

Those photos
were taken at the E.R.

There were seven points
of contact.

You hit yourself.

I'm sorry.

(Stabler)
And then you had Wayne hit you?

Yes.

The eyewitness said that you
were yelling, "Stop, don't".

God forgive me,
I was saying, "Don't stop".

Daddy!
Please--

Mr. Westley,
where are you going?

Home.
What about your daughter?

Keep her, lock her up.
I don't care.

Unfortunately,
children aren't disposable.

They deserted me.

They're kids.
Lauren's 16.

She made a promise.

She's your child.

I don't care
what your beliefs are.

You don't stop loving her.

Like I know you
don't stop thinking

about your other daughter.

Lauren tried
to kill her baby.

Because she was
afraid of you.

Don't prove her right.

My God.

[sighs]

What's gonna happen
to her?

That's up to the DA.

Miss DeVere.

Didn't expect to see you
slumming out here.

I'm representing
Wayne Mortens.

You come to offer a deal?

To see if he'll corroborate
Lauren's confession.

Ooh, congratulations.

You finally realized
she's complicit.

So you gonna charge her too?

Depends what Wayne has to say.

We know Lauren was involved.
We know she hit herself.

Just tell me
whose idea it was.

Tell her, Wayne.

Lauren's.

Why?

When the doctor said

that it was too late
to get the abortion,

she came back to the hotel.

She was hysterical.

She said that her dad would
throw her out

like he did to her sister.

What happened then?

She said that we had to do it.

That we had to get rid
of the baby.

She told me
to use the lamp.

She made me take off the shade
and the bulb.

She laid down on the bed.

And she told me to start--

(Novak)
Hitting her?

I couldn't.

Lauren was crying.

And she started

hitting herself, and she was
like, "Come on! Come on!"

And you did.

Yeah.

Casey, they're kids.

They're emotionally devastated.

They're not in control
of their actions.

On the contrary.

They made a plan,
and they executed it.

It was Lauren's plan.

She didn't force Wayne
to hit her, but he still did.

Not once, but 20 times

until the lamp shattered.

Lauren hit the baby too.

And I'm going
to charge them both.

Which means you charge her
with a misdemeanor

and him with a felony?

Gee.
Does that seem fair to you?

(Novak)
It's complicated.

Both kids committed the same
crime, but according

to the law, he could get
five years in prison

while she gets
five years probation.

Doesn't seem fair.

Who's the primary cause
of the baby's death?

The boy,

but the girl incited
and abetted the act.

The law's penalty reflects
the degree of responsibility.

Seems fair to me.

Plead her out
on a misdemeanor,

and prosecute him
for the felony.

[knocking at door]

Sophie, you're working late.

All for a good cause,
Arthur, all for a good cause.

Women's rights.
You remember them.

You know, a lot of people
in this country

want to take us back
to the '50s.

And look what we got now.
A '50s crime.

Are you forgetting that
it's your male client

who committed the crime?

As a matter of fact,
I haven't.

A motion to dismiss the charges
against Wayne Mortens

on constitutional grounds.

What kind of nonsense is this?

There's no constitutional
issue here.

Why, Arthur,
have you forgotten

the 14th amendment?

The law treats Wayne Mortens
and Lauren Westley

differently because
of their gender.

That violates
the equal protection clause.

Who's your trial judge?

Elizabeth Donnelly.

[sighs]

Our favorite radical feminist.

Wears her views
on her sleeve.

This would probably appeal
to her notion

of inequality.

I want you to talk
to Donnelly.

Tell her to recuse herself
from this case.

On what grounds?

Public views on abortion.

I think she's perfectly
capable of divorcing

her personal beliefs
from the case.

I'm not willing

to take that risk.

Talk to her, Casey,

and tell her we can do it
unofficially or officially.

(Donnelly)
Are you asking

me to recuse myself?

I'm sorry, but your public
position on abortion rights,

your work for NARAL,
make it impossible

for you to appear impartial.

I'm against detention
without trial at Guantanamo,

I can still try
terrorism cases.

Your presence will also
politicize the case.

It's gonna provide fuel
for the pro-life lobby.

My absence will provide fuel
for the pro-choice lobby,

which still exists, Casey,
even if you've deserted it.

It's my job to prosecute this
case, regardless of my views.

And it's my job
to try it.

I see no reason at all why
I should accede to your request,

so tell your boss
to go screw himself.

Elizabeth.

If I have to make

this request official,
you know I'll win.

Please don't make me do that.

Are you threatening me?

No.

I'm asking you as a friend.

Branch really got to you,
didn't he?

All right.

I'll recuse myself.

Playing politics
with the law, Casey.

You're heading down
a slippery slope.

I hear Donnelly recused herself
from the case.

Know anything about that?

Elizabeth and I go back
a long way.

Maybe she didn't want
to give me an unfair advantage.

Or maybe you and Branch
mugged her,

because you were afraid she was
gonna throw out your case.

If your motion depends
on getting Donnelly,

you can't have much
of an argument.

Well, we'll see.

(DeVere)
Lauren and Wayne committed
the same crime.

They should be charged
with the same crime.

To do otherwise is to give
Lauren preferential treatment,

because she's female.

Lauren's gender is the issue,
Your Honor.

Pregnant women are

under more stress,
especially if they're 16.

Women only a little older
than Lauren

are fighting
and dying in Iraq.

To argue that--that a pregnant
woman is not mature enough

to face the consequences
of her action

is sexist and offensive.

Well, that's odd.

Miss DeVere has argued
the exact opposite.

In four previous cases,

she's used the stress
of pregnancy

to defend a woman's
violent criminal actions.

In the case at hand,

the law is constitutionally
defective

and violates my client's
civil rights.

I'm sorry, Miss DeVere,

but if you think
the law is defective,

take it up with the legislature
or the Appeals Court.

Your client

is facing serious
criminal charges.

The trial will proceed.
Good night.

One more thing,
Your Honor.

I would move that
in the trial,

the fetus be referred
to as the fetus,

not "the unborn child"

or "the baby".

These emotive terms are

deeply prejudicial
for my client.

This is outrageous,
Your Honor.

The baby was more
than 24 weeks old.

It could've lived

outside the womb.

(DeVere)
But tragically it did not,

so it is not a person,
not a baby, not an unborn child.

It is a fetus.

My client is already handicapped
by the law.

Let's not add insult
to injury.

The only insult
is to the English language.

(Judge)
I agree, Miss Novak.

But I also agree
it is prejudicial.

The dead baby will only be
referred to as "the fetus".

(Novak)
Dr. Warner,

how much force would it take

to fracture the skull
of this fetus?

(Warner)
A considerable amount
of force,

since the bones
are not fully calcified.

Would the 20 separate

blows Wayne Mortens inflicted

have caused the victim
to feel pain?

Objection.
Relevance?

The suffering of the victim
isn't relevant?

The fetus is not a person
under the law.

How can it be a victim?

If the defendant had tortured
a cat or a dog,

the jury would want to know the
degree of the victim's pain.

Does a human fetus have
fewer rights?

I'll allow the question.

I have a further objection.

It clearly states
in the Journal of the American

Medical Association
that a fetus does not feel

pain until after
the 29th week.

And other

studies show that
the fetus feels pain

as early as 23 weeks.

The conclusions of that study
are still being debated.

Then until they're settled,

we will not debate them
in my courtroom.

Objection is sustained.

Dr. Warner,

did the defendant's attack

cause the death of the fetus?

Yes.

Thank you.

Dr. Warner,

I have two photos

from Lauren Westley's
hospital records.

What do these show?

Bruises and abrasions
to her abdomen.

Caused by the lamp?

No.

Caused by what?

By this?

Yes.

Let the record show that
the witness has identified

Lauren Westley's watch.

So it wasn't just Wayne
who attacked the fetus.

It was the mother as well.

Yes.

No further questions.

(DeVere)
How often did you and Wayne
have sex?

Once.

We didn't mean for it to happen.

It just did.

(DeVere)
And when was it

that you knew
you were pregnant?

Not until

about 13 weeks later

when I missed
my third period.

Then why didn't you
tell somebody?

Your doctor or your father?

I was afraid.

Afraid of what?

My father.

That he'd throw me
out of the house.

I knew I couldn't take care
of a baby on my own.

There are legal ways

to terminate a pregnancy.

Did you consider them?

Yes.

I tried to buy
the abortion pill,

but the pharmacist
wouldn't sell it.

Why not?

He said it was
against his conscience.

We went

to the hospital, but...

they said that they needed
my father's consent.

And you were too afraid
to tell him.

And then I read
on the Internet

about this herb that could
cause an abortion.

But it just made me
really sick.

And then you came
to New York.

I called a clinic.

It was the first ad I saw
in the phone book,

and they seemed nice.

But...

by the time I saw the doctor,

he said I was past 24 weeks.

And that it was too late.

I had no way out.

I wanted to kill myself.

I told Wayne
to start hitting me.

[crying]

He did it,
because I asked him to.

And now Wayne is on trial,
and you are free.

Does that seem fair to you?

Objection.

No further questions.

That is a pretty sad story,
Lauren.

It almost seems
as if you had no choice

but to batter your fetus
to death.

(DeVere)
Is there a question here,
Your Honor?

There is.

You did have a choice,
didn't you?

You could've told your dad.

I was afraid of what he would do
if he knew.

But he knows now,

and where is he?

He's here,

in the courtroom,
supporting you.

And what about
the abortion clinic?

You were in New York two weeks
before you went there.

You could've gotten
a legal abortion then.

Why wait?

I didn't wait.

I went to the clinic
the first day I got here.

Why not get the abortion then?

Were you having
second thoughts?

The nurse said
that I had a temperature,

that they couldn't do

the procedure.

She said to call back
when I felt better.

Did you?

Yes.

But by the time I got the
appointment, it was too late.

Nothing further.

(Judge)
The witness may step down.

Court is adjourned
until tomorrow morning.

Two visits
to the abortion clinic?

Why the hell didn't we
know about this?

The kids never mentioned it,
neither did the doctor.

(Benson)
Dr. Lett, did you see Lauren
the first time she came in?

I'll have to check.

We see dozens
of women every day.

While you're looking,

check the fever Lauren was
supposed to have.

We spoke to her.
She said she felt fine.

Huh, who do you believe?

A scared teenager
or a doctor with a thermometer?

Well, here's her file.

Uh...

Yes, she had a fever of 102.

So you did examine her?

Yes, and I told her
that performing the procedure

while she had
an infection would, uh,

pose a great risk to her.

And who was the nurse?

[papers shuffling]

Judy Galton.

(Benson)
We're gonna need
to talk to her.

Unfortunately, um,
Judy recently left us.

This work can be very stressful.

Why did it take you so long
to see her

again after her first visit?

Well, she was told to call
and make a new appointment.

Uh, looks like she just took her
time getting back to us.

No, Lauren called you
every day

at least three times a day
for two weeks.

We dumped the hotel payphone.

Well, if it was a payphone,

how do you know
it was Lauren calling?

Does it normally take two weeks
to schedule an appointment?

We're very busy.

Or did it only take

two weeks because you wanted
to delay her

till it was too late to have
a legal abortion?

That's an outrageous accusation.

And quite unprovable.

(Novak)
We checked with Medicaid.

There's no record
of this clinic

ever performing
a single procedure.

It's one of those fake
abortion clinics.

Apparently, they're springing up
all over the country.

I didn't expect
to see them here.

They're trying to clean up
Sodom and Gomorrah.

You know the minute I put
that doctor on the stand

the jury's gonna be
on my side.

It may be hard

for you to prove fraud,
but it does look

like he deliberately
misled Lauren.

If I get her medical records
to show your M.E...

will you deal?

Would you please excuse us,
Sophie?

Why, certainly.

Why are you making a deal?

Lauren Westley was given
fraudulent information

by a doctor masquerading

as a provider
of abortion services.

Did he instruct

her to get her boyfriend

to batter her baby to death?

No.

Did he assist them?

He forced them into a corner.

Does that justify battering her?

No deals, Casey.

Do your job.
Prosecute the crime.

I am already losing the jury.

With this new information,
I don't--

You know what's
more important

than winning or losing?

Sending a message that this city
won't condone violent crime

whatever the duress.

Sounds like you don't agree
with your boss's orders.

Even if I win, I'll feel like
I convicted the wrong person.

Lauren and Wayne
killed that baby,

whatever it's called in court.

But they tried every legal
method to abort,

even a medieval
herbal remedy.

They were blocked
every single time.

Dr. Lett was their last resort,
and he lied to them.

I spoke with the nurse
who saw Lauren.

She corroborates his story.
We can't prove anything.

Maybe this'll help.
Lauren's records.

Since when does a doctor
in a busy clinic

take a patient's temperature

and blood pressure?

I wouldn't.

The nurse does it.
Yes.

And the nurse

charts the results
in her notes.

But her notes are missing.

There's only Dr. Lett's
signature.

I wanna talk
to that nurse.

(Novak)
Did you work at the

Manhattan Woman's
Sexual Health Clinic?

Yes.

Did you examine Lauren Westley

on her first visit
to the clinic?

Yes.

You must see dozens
of patients.

How can you be sure?

I would never forget Lauren.

Not after
what happened to her.

Did you take
her temperature?

Yes.

Thank you.

Your witness.

What was her temperature?

It was normal.
98.6.

In the chart it says
that it was 102.

The chart is incorrect.

But you told Lauren
that she had a fever.

Yes.

You lied.

It was what I was
told to do.

By whom?

Dr. Lett.

Why?

To delay performing
the abortion.

For how long?

Until it was too late.

Why did you leave the clinic?

I'm against abortion.

When all we did
was try to persuade

women and girls not
to abort their babies,

I was fine.

But then there were things
I didn't agree with.

Like...

what we did to Lauren.

[crying]
She called every single day,

asking when she
could come in.

I dreaded hearing her voice
on the phone,

but I kept lying to her.

Why?

Dr. Lett told me to.

Will the defendant please stand?

On the misdemeanor charge
of assault in the third degree,

how do you find?

We find the defendant guilty.

On the felony charge of
an unjustified abortional act,

how do you find?

We find the defendant
not guilty.

Court is adjourned.

[gavel knocks]

You okay?

Casey.

So you handed the case

to the defense?

Wayne still got probation.

Really?

Well, I may be pro-life,
but I'm even more pro-law.

Arrest that doctor.

You can't go in there.

What the hell do you think
you're doing?

Arresting you.

What for?

Fraud,
forging medical records,

reckless endangerment.

Well, I've done nothing wrong.

You have the right
to remain silent.

I'm saving innocent lives.

Anything you say can
and will be used--

I'm saving innocent lives.
Against you
in a court of law.