Three Families (2021) s01e01 Episode Script
Episode 1
1
JUDGE: You are charged that you did
unlawfully procure and supply
a poison or other noxious thing,
knowing that the same
was to be unlawfully used
or employed with the intent
to procure the miscarriage of
Orla Healy, contrary to Section 59
of the Offences against
the Person Act 1861.
BABY COOS
A little bit more?
SHE GASPS
Oh, there you go! That's your
favourite, isn't it?
Wee bit more?
BABY CRIES OU
I know, I know! Yum! Yum, yum, yum!
Good boy!
You'll not want to be late,
today of all days.
Would you stop hassling me?
I'm not going to be late,
for God's sakes!
When am I ever late?
When are you ever not?
Look, OK, it's geography,
I know you hate it,
but it's the last exam.
You'll be done by dinner time,
and then you'll be free
for the whole summer.
Stop fussing me!
Will we have pizza tonight?
You know, cos we're celebrating?
Orla!
Morning.
BABY CRIES
Han?
TOILET FLUSHES
Hannah?
You're not going to work?
I'm never as late as I look.
There are two sorts of women
in this world -
ones who are dying for their periods
to come
and ones who are dying
for it not to.
Oh, please don't tell me
we've got to keep trying.
THEY LAUGH
SHE LAUGHS
Get in that shower, stinky boy!
No obvious reason. I'm taking
my folic acid and my vitamins.
And eating your green leafies?
Both of yous?
Frozen peas don't count, do they?
SHE LAUGHS
My daughter swore by yoga.
SHE LAUGHS
No, don't laugh! Anything that
helps you relax, I suppose.
Well, I've tried everything else.
It'll happen for you.
I know it will.
You'll make such a lovely mum.
ON PHONE: But you managed to get her
out of bed.
Ach, I don't think she had
much sleep last night.
Did you not hear that awful music
playing in the wee hours?
And did you not listen to
miserable romantic rubbish
when you were her age?
I listened to Kylie Minogue.
HE LAUGHS
I wish you hadn't told me that.
Cooee!
I'll catch you later.
All right. Perfect timing,
though I say it myself.
Thanks, Mummy. No, you leave
all that for me, love.
GASPS: We'll get your mummy
organised! What a lovely boy!
There's new bananas in the bowl
there today.
Ach, I brought me own, just in case.
We know your mummy and the shopping,
don't we, love? Oh!
Right, OK. I'll see you later.
Bye-bye! Bye-bye!
Morning, morning! Morning, Theresa!
She's really good, my mummy - and
God knows I need the help
But she lets you know how lucky you
are. Yep. Loud and clear.
I feel guilty saying it
to anyone but you.
SIGHS: When it comes to mothers,
where does feeling guilty
ever get us, huh?
THEY LAUGH
Don't answer that.
I actually heard from my boy
last night. Oh, that's great!
You must be so relieved. Yeah.
Where's he got to now? Somewhere in
Thailand that I can't pronounce.
Safe and sound, though?
I'm his mother.
I don't even go there.
You heard anything from her?
Just a text - "Meetin' my friends,
back later."
Well, I'm going to take that
to mean
..nothing to worry about.
This idea that I'm the only one
round here who ever worries
HE LAUGHS
TV IN BACKGROUND
Oh! He loves watching the news,
though God only knows why.
Hey, you. Oh! Hello, little boy!
DOOR OPENS, SHUTS
Orla?
I'll see you tomorrow.
Thanks, Mummy. Bye! See you later!
I remember what it was like -
just sitting in that room,
staring at that bit of paper
and the teacher saying,
"Turn over, you may begin,"
andmy mind just going blank!
I mean, the words, the questions -
it was all double Dutch!
So don't be worrying, OK?
Hm?
I'm pregnant.
You sure? Yeah.
He won't leave me alone.
He says he loves me.
So he'll stand by you, then?
WHISPERS: Hey.
We getting a bit late for them
pizzas? Er, no, no. You go ahead.
You put them in. She's back.
She's fine. Sounds fine.
But, you know
Stop fussin' with Mummy.
15 minutes, ladies! Yeah.
Don't tell him.
Promise.
Well Can't it just be
you and me again?
What are you doing?
Girls like me go to England,
don't they? It's what they do.
A thousand girls a year.
It says so here.
We've never even been to England.
Where would we get
that kind of money?
I mean, there'll be flights on top
of that.
And
..abortion is a sin, Orla.
It's a mortal sin.
That's so easy to say.
..until it happens to you.
So you took him back, then?
Yeah.
That much of an idiot.
But it's over now?
That's me trying to run away.
Jesus Christ!
When I told him
..he said he'd kick it out of me.
He said he'd stab me
the day that it was born.
He says I've got to get rid of it.
Says he'll tell everybody
I'm a slag.
Please don't say anything,
please don't.
Please.
I can say I'll help you.
And I can say I love you.
I'm SO ashamed.
What's going on?
Nothing.
Exams. We're We're done.
We're done.
I like the middle one. Don't say
you can't tell the difference.
I like yellow. I don't hold with
all the pink and blue stuff.
No, me neither.
OK, so I won't start knitting before
I actually fall pregnant
Whatever you want is fine with me.
I never knew it was possible
to want anything this much.
SHE GASPS, LAUGHS
No!
NEWSREADER: It's one of the most
restrictive abortion laws
in the world.
Anyone who illegally terminates
a pregnancy in Northern Ireland
could be sent to prison for life.
Marie Stopes is the only
private clinic
to offer abortion advice in Belfast.
And every day since it opened,
protesters have gathered outside
I am just behind that woman with the
dark hair. Let me see.
No, I've gone!
Theresa, come and see this.
In a wee bit.
You should stand near the front
next time, Louise.
SHE GASPS
Look, there's Deirdre. Yeah, and
Annemarie.
There's a dozen or more of us
from church.
Do the mothers of these girls
not know what they get up to?
Or do they not care? It's not
a young girl's kind of thing.
Grown women come to that place,
women old enough to know better.
It's just shameful. OK, I think
we're done here, aren't we? Ah!
Good boy! Let's get you home.
Good boy!
There we go. Thanks, Mum.
Bye-bye! Love, if you have still
a gap between 10.00 and 11.00,
the product shelf's
looking a bit thin.
Theresa?
Oh! He's just gorgeous.
They grow up so fast. Hm.
Blink and you miss it, eh?
Oh, don't forget, I have to leave at
half one today.
CHANTING: Say yes to life,
say yes to life, say yes to life!
CHANTING CONTINUES, GETS LOUDER
So, there's no days when you don't
have the protesters outside?
ON PHONE: We have a team of
trained volunteers
to escort you past them
if that's a service you'd like.
I don't I don't know.
DOOR OPENS
Theresa! If you've got a wee minute,
this is really starting
to get on my nerves.
Yeah, sit yourself down, Mummy.
I'll get it!
Yeah, just bills.
Right.
This one now
and four of these tomorrow.
Ach, love.
Would it be so bad?
We already have one baby
in the house.
You wouldn't be on your own.
You know, it might even be fun
to watch them grow up together.
I want a life, Ma.
I want to do my A-levels.
I want to go to university.
You know? I don't want
A life like mine.
MOBILE VIBRATES
You're not still in touch with him?
He's still in touch with me.
Can you not switch your phone off?!
If I go through with this
..I'll have him out of
my life forever.
Dear God!
This is a huge thing,
a terrible thing. You mustn't do it
just cos it's what he wants.
It's what I want, Ma.
I'm doing it for me.
Thank you.
38, 39, 40,
41, 42, 43, 44,
45, 46, 47,
48, 49,
50, 51, 52,
53, 54, 55,
56, 57
58, 59, 60.
SHE SQUEALS, LAUGHS
SHE SQUEALS
Really?
HE LAUGHS
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God.
THEY LAUGH
You're not telling anyone.
Not till we're sure.
But I saw the blue line for myself.
12 weeks.
Whenever I'm 12 weeks, you can tell
the whole world.
What if I'm a rubbish da?
I'll divorce you.
SHE LAUGHS
Sure, everyone will know anyway.
I mean, look at the face on you!
SHE LAUGHS
Two coffees, mate. Thank you.
What happened to waiting till
12 weeks?
I never told her, she guessed!
A total stranger?
SHE CHUCKLES
THEY SIGH
SHE CHUCKLES
YELLING
Argh!
Sh, you're OK. Argh!
You're OK.
SHE GROANS
Sh, Orla, sh.
Oh, my God! You're OK.
Oh, my You're OK. Argh!
SHE GROANS
Oh, my God, oh, my God!
Darling, you have to sh.
SHE CALLS OU
It's just bad dreams. I'm not ill,
I don't need to see a doctor.
You shouldn't still be bleeding.
Why does he have to know anyway?
I don't want anyone to know.
He's your doctor,
who's he going to tell?
It's all confidential.
Pills from the internet, I see.
And you took these pills
how long ago?
Eight. Nine.
Nine days ago.
Mifepristone and misoprostol -
it's powerful drugs
for an underage girl to take
without a prescription
from a doctor.
Dr O'Brien, please, can you not
just give her something?
Even just to stop the poor
wee girl from bleeding.
I'm going to refer you to the
gynaecology clinic, Orla.
And for the nightmares
and the anxiety,
we might also want to consider
getting you checked out
by the adolescent mental
health team.
Thank you.
Counselling?!
It's a kind offer.
You've been through a lot.
It's over. I don't want it to keep
coming back to haunt me.
WOMAN: Morning, ladies!
WHISPERING: Jesus. Great.
Hi, gorgeous Orla!
Long time, no see.
I know, it's just with school
and everything
Oh. Bet you're looking
forward to the summer -
got loads of lovely plans, aye?
We have plans to rest up after all
these god-forsaken exams, eh?
You must be exhausted.
Is that why you've been to
the doctor, aye?
No, no. Just a wee sore throat.
Well, don't be giving it to me, now.
THEY CHUCKLE
See you later. See you later.
Bye! Bye.
Who'd be a person with a secret
in a place like this?
Come on.
There's your baby's heartbeat.
HEART BEATS ON SCREEN
God, it's really happening!
I can't be sure of the sex
at 12 weeks.
Oh, I don't want to know.
My husband likes surprises.
I love surprises.
Oh, put the due date. Aye.
KEYBOARD CLACKS
Right. Mm-hm. OK?
Already! Aw!
HE CHUCKLES
PHONE RINGS
Who's that? It's Tess.
Baby Central, how can I help you?
LAUGHING: Ah! Ha-ha!
Thank you!
She says, "Congratulations."
SHE LAUGHS
April. Yeah!
SHE LAUGHS
MUFFLED CHATTER
Orla? The head wants a word.
CROWD: Oh, ho-ho, ho-ho!
APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS
Come on in, Orla.
This is Detective Constable Fallon.
Yes, I'm a police officer.
But don't worry, Orla,
you're not in any trouble.
Sit down.
Please, sit down.
What on earth is going on?
She started out, she said she was
from child protection.
She knew I was underage,
she knew he abused me, Ma.
She knew everything!
But, how? And then she asked me
about the pills.
And where I got them from.
Mummy, everybody saw me go in there
and soon everybody's going to know.
It's OK, you're OK.
Come on away home.
KEYBOARD CLACKS
HEART BEATS
There.
It sounds so fast.
Babies can do 160 beats a
minute in the womb.
Hm? I like doing the homework.
Will we go for a fry after?
We can look for a pram.
RAPID HEARTBEATS
What's that, there? G-A.
What does that mean?
Gestational age.
But I'm 20 weeks. We know that.
So why does it say 12?
Sorry, I do need to concentrate.
It's all right.
OK, there are a few wee things
I'm not happy about.
I'm just going to get
your consultant to take a look.
DOOR OPENS
DOOR SHUTS
Most likely, it'll turn
out to be nothing.
How is that a helpful thing to say?
BABY CRIES
I just mean that we shouldn't
God, how much longer?
Mrs Kennedy?
I'm looking at the femurs -
the thighbones - here and here.
They're very severely foreshortened,
can you see? And curved.
It appears your baby has
a form of dwarfism.
So that's
What I mean, people
People do have dwarfism
and still have lives.
It's not the end of the world.
Your sonographer also made a note
for me to look at the chest.
It's very narrow and shaped
like a bell - do you see?
A bell? Yes, I suppose so.
Taken together with
the short femurs,
it indicates a condition called
thanatophoric dysplasia.
I'm going to send you to
Foetal Medicine
for a second opinion.
But the heartbeat, Dr Baines,
it's so strong.
The heart has taken up all the space
in this tiny ribcage.
Your baby's lungs have no
room to develop.
So, when it
I don't want to say "it" any more.
You can say "she".
Hm.
Your baby's a girl.
She'll most likely be stillborn.
If she survives the birth,
she'll die very soon
from respiratory failure.
And she'll suffocate?
There's no immediate risk
to you or to your baby,
so you can just carry on as normal.
She's going to die.
Or if the diagnosis is confirmed,
as this is a fatal foetal
abnormality,
termination of the pregnancy
might be a possibility.
SHE SOBS
My baby is going to die.
SHE SOBS
KEYBOARD CLACKS
Thanatapho Thanat It's an O.
Thanatophoric.
KEYBOARD CLACKS
You've already looked it up.
It's Greek.
PHOR as in Christophor -
who carried Christ.
And THANATO, that'sGreek, too.
Greek for "death."
Death carrying.
What are we going to do?
Nothing tonight. Let's sleep on it.
Sleep?
Are you joking?
We have to talk about this!
It's too big to deal with tonight.
Mrs Ryan?
Uh-huh.
Detective Constable Fallon.
Nothing to be alarmed about.
Could we please have a word about
your daughter down at the station?
ENGINE IGNITES
If you've teenagers at home?
No.
Well, maybe you'll remember
what you were like
yourselves back then.
And your poor mothers.
Orla was 15 when she fell pregnant?
She was, aye.
It's not how she was
brought up, but You know?
And when did she tell you?
25th of June.
I'll never forget that.
Did you order the pills for
her on the same day?
No. No, the day after.
If you don't
If you don't mind me asking,
how did you know about that?
Were you aware at all that these
pills are abortifacients?
That the pills cause abortion
..which is illegal.
No.
No, I
No, what
Abortion is
..issurgery.
You know, you
You have to have an operation.
You have to You have to
go to hospital and then they
No, these
You see, the pills, they just
They just bring on your period.
You know? So - it's not the same.
It's not the same. Well, that's
That's what I thought.
Anyway, it's It's private
family business, so
No. No, no, no, no. I'm sorry.
This is This is not over. OK?
I have questions, OK?
I am her mother.
I should have been there in the
school whenever you talked to her.
Mrs Ryan, it's routine to
interview in the absence of parents
on matters of child protection.
She doesn't need protecting from me!
Look, they were just some
pills from the Internet.
It's what she wanted -
that's the important thing.
If you've got a solicitor
Whenever would I have a need
for one of those?
I just I need to see a solicitor.
Take a seat.
PHONE RINGS
I know I've been stupid.
Well Worse than stupid.
Because I've never had
a secret in my life
and I'm sitting in the biggest
one you could imagine.
And you know what
it's like round here?
Everyone will find out
and our family will be
Nobody will want to know us and
nobody will understand.
Tell me who knows already.
Nobody. Me and Orla.
And you andthe boyfriend.
The mental health people.
Our doctor.
Her head teacher and the police.
And whoever told them,
which could be anybody. Jesus!
Her father?
No, no. He left
when she was a wee girl.
She has a stepfather now and
they get on right enough,
but she's made me promise
not to tell.
So, I can't tell my mummy
because it'll be all my fault,
and my best friend spends
her afternoons demonstrating
outside Marie Stopes.
I'm pretty confident it won't
come to anything.
These pills are coming
into the country all the time
and nobody has ever been prosecuted.
But, Theresa, alone is
such a hard place to be.
Mark, everything all right
with Theresa?
Nothing a bit of sunshine won't fix.
What is it, John?
Visitors - with warrant cards.
Right.
PHONE VIBRATES
SHE SOBS
SHE SOBS
HE SIGHS
DOOR OPENS
DOOR SHUTS
I've been worried sick.
We have never been in any kind
of trouble with the police - ever.
Well, we're not in any kind
of trouble now.
I told them everything
and And they were fine.
She's 15.
Who is he?
Who is he?
Just some
Just some boy - she met him in town.
I want his name.
I want to go round his house and
kick the shit out of him.
No. No, you don't.
And what options have you left me,
the pair of yous?
I mean, what did you think
I would do if you told me?
I wasn't
I wasn't thinking that way.
Do I even belong in this family?
Yes, of course you do.
Mark, look, I'm sorry, but the truth
is she didn't want you to know.
I've loved her like my own child.
Yes, I know. And that's why
she was ashamed!
By God, I shouldn't
have to spell it out.
DOOR SHUTS
Orla?
This all hurts.
But what hurts the most is that you
and your mother both saw fit
to keep it a secret from me.
Don't, Mark. She's already been
through enough.
Ma, you promised
Don't walk away from me, Orla.
Listen to me!
Why?!
This is none of your business!
Excuse me, who puts a roof
over your head?
Will you both stop shouting - do you
want this whole estate to know?
Well, they all know that the
police come looking for you.
Ma?
Look, it was nothing, love. OK?
It was just box ticking, nothing bad
is going to happen, I promise.
Ma, are people knowing?
No-one else is going to know.
Are you going to tell them?
No? Is your mother?
It's over.
You put this behind you.
You go back to school,
you do your exams,
you pass your exams - all of them.
For God's sake!
What else is she going to do?
Go to bed.
Go to bed!
DOOR SLAMS UPSTAIRS
This never happened.
The end.
Whenever my parents split up
..I remember I thought,
I'm never get married.
And then you came along.
And all I thought of then
..the babies would come out.
All pretty babies.
They will.
We will have them one day.
As many as you want.
Is that it, then?
Is that our decision?
We'll go for the termination.
So mummy, dearest, how did it go?
I've never spent a single minute
thinking about abortion in my life.
I mean, you don't, do you?
It's something
that happens to other women.
But you wanted this baby so much?
I haven't stopped loving her.
I haven't stopped wanting her,
I've never wanted anything so much.
This is such a hard thing
to have to say to you.
But, Hannah, abortion is wrong.
It's killing babies.
My baby has a fatal
foetal abnormality.
That's what's killing her.
Even if that's true
..God, no, I will not
True? What?
I mean, it's only a doctor's
opinion, isn't it?
You don't have to go
along with it.
Hannah
..you have a chance to give your
child her one precious
chance of life.
Oh, Hannah, show mercy.
Mercy?
You want me to give birth to her
and watch her die in agony?
How's that merciful to either of us.
I have a phone call at 11:00.
I won't tell anyone about
this conversation, Hannah,
and neither should you.
It's not a thing you want
people gossiping about.
Mrs Kennedy?
And so we've been discussing
it and researching it
and debating all our options.
And we've decided that the best
thing for us
would be to say that, yes,
we'll have the termination.
Well, you know, that's not going
to happen.
Dr Ben said it was an option.
She shouldn't have said that.
Excuse me, it's not illegal.
We looked up the figures online,
official figures.
There's been 91 abortions
in the last year.
Oh, I don't know where they
happened.
Not in this hospital.
Well, mymy baby has
a fatal foetal abnormality.
Surely there should be an assessment
of my mental health.
We phoned the psychiatrist and
he said, no,
he wouldn't sign off
on a termination.
So
..you made an assessment
of the state of my mental health
..before you even met me.
You will go on under our care
through to the end
of a normal pregnancy and give birth
to your baby in the normal way.
No, nothing about this is normal,
it's
Nothing about this is right.
Over there. See?
Don't kill your baby.
Please don't kill your baby.
Your beautiful baby loves you.
Not so close, please.
These people can't help you.
Whatever you're going through
right now Excuse me.
..multiply it by 10,000, OK?
Your baby's alive.
Your baby loves you.
CHANTING: Save every life!
Save every life!
PROTESTORS CLAMOUR
Marie Stopes International,
how may I help you?
Um, I live in Northern Ireland
and I need a termination.
Can I ask how far on you are
with your pregnancy?
23 weeks and six days.
Unfortunately, our Belfast clinic
can only help up to nine weeks.
Marie Stopes International,
how may I help you?
I was just telling someone
I live in Northern Ireland
and I'm too far along
to get a termination here.
So now I'm calling to see
if I can come to England, please.
Can I ask how far on you are
with your pregnancy?
23 weeks and six days.
I'm so sorry -
policy in England for
Missed the deadline by a whole day.
A whole day.
I'm not heading out.
Look, that's a big race
you're trained for -
you can't just stop.
You've just got to wait now.
Wait while life goes on.
LINE RINGS
PHONE RINGS
One minute. Hannah?
You said if, um
..if I needed some time from work
What's happening?
I'm going to have to carry
the baby to term.
I think
I hope you'll be glad in the end,
glad you went through with it.
You've just got no idea
what this is like.
Nobody has any idea
what this is like.
Are you alone, love?
Is Jonathan not with you?
He's in work. What do you think?
Take as long as you need.
OK?
NEWSCASTER: More than 15,000 people
have been taking part
in the Belfast Marathon.
I'm not sure
it's a spectator sport.
Another personal best
while I wasn't looking?
Three hours, 12.
It's great that you've got
somewhere to put it. Hmm.
All the pressure.
See, John, I have noticed
that it's happening to you too.
Ah, go on with you, I'm all right.
SHE INHALES SHARPLY
All right? Mm-hm. Here.
"Through to the end
of a normal pregnancy."
But you're in constant pain,
there's nothing normal about that.
Is there not something more
they can do?
I'm already on all this morphine
twice a day.
If they give me anything else,
I'll never wake up.
Stay in bed tomorrow. No, no.
I'm coming in to Belfast
to give you your champion's lunch.
It can wait - stay in bed.
I'll go mad.
Madder.
Now, there is lovely -
you're the before and I'm the after.
Is it a boy or a girl?
Little girl. Gorgeous.
And when are you due? April.
God, you're big. Mind you, so was I.
Felt like I had a whole
football team inside of me,
and she was
only six-and-a-half pounds.
But it's all worth it in the end.
Excuse me. S-sorry.
Walking now -
don't know where the time goes.
We'll walk up the steps.
We'll leave Mummy to have a wee sit.
SHE GASPS AND GROANS IN PAIN
SHE PANTS
I'm coming. I'm on my way.
Stay calm. I love you.
I'm coming.
Settle.
SHE CRIES
That's it, breathe.
Breathe.
SHE SCREAMS
I don't want to hurt her, I don't
CAMERA CLICKS
For your memory box.
No, no, no, I
Thank you, but no.
We don't need any help
to remember her, thank you.
Here.
What's this?
You're going to have to stand up
in court.
I thought it was over.
I wanted to believe it was over.
"For unlawfully procuring
and unlawfully supplying a poison
"or other noxious thing"
I'm very surprised, I must say.
"..knowing the same was intended
to be unlawfully used with intent
"to procure a miscarriage
contrary to Section 59"
There's never been a prosecution.
"..contrary to Section 59
"of the Offences Against
the Person Act, 1861."
1861 - that's insane.
They'll drop it. I still think so.
Can you guarantee my wife
won't end up in prison?
I can guarantee we're going to fight
this every inch of the way.
How long will I get?
The maximum sentence is five years.
HANNAH: I want us to do something
proper to remember her by.
Something real.
None of it will ever feel real
to me.
No-one should ever
have to go through this.
MUFFLED VOICES
No, listen, the only way to help
that poor woman facing trial,
whoever she is, is direct action.
Come on. Here's what we do.
Hannah. Sorry.
I'm Jenny. We just started. You go
on and you order the same pills.
Then we call the media.
Then we all take the pills in front
of the cameras
and then we call the police
and we say,
"So now arrest the whole lot of us,
why don't you? You big bullies!"
Not putting you off at all,
are we?
No, no, I'm
I came because I read in
the newspaper that the government's
considering changing the law
on fatal foetal abnormality.
Buying us off with a concession
when it's got to be all or nothing.
A woman's right to choose, end of.
No, we have to go for this.
There's women out there right now
being forced to give birth
to dead babies.
So then I told them what happened
to me, to us, and they got
really interested
cos they're doing this thing,
like a really big challenge
in the courts, to tell everyone
that the rules here are too strict
and they breach our human rights.
And they've got all these arguments
and loads of lawyers
But Jenny says what they need now
is victims.
Victims? Women who've been
through it to stand up
and tell their stories.
You want to be a victim?
Well, no, I mean,
it's just a form of words.
It's just a little town, Hannah -
it's not Belfast.
No, it's 20 miles away
and four years ago.
You want to relive the worst time
of our lives in public?
But this feels so good.
After all the grief and awfulness,
it feels
..like the start of something new.
And I'm ready, John.
I am ready.
Will I tell the lawyers
they can't use my name
or show my face?
I'll be the invisible woman.
HE LAUGHS
If it helps just one other person,
it'll be worth it.
So there's a few press. Press?
You mean reporters?
Jesus! Don't worry, they're not
allowed to report your name
or anything that might identify
Orla, as she's underage.
Stay close to me, OK?
And we'll do that thing
where we pretend we belong here.
Here. Right.
Let's
You are charged that you did
unlawfully procure and supply
a poison or other noxious thing,
namely mifepristone and misoprostol,
knowing that the same was
to be unlawfully used or employed
with the intent to procure
the miscarriage of Orla Healy,
contrary to Section 59
of the Offences Against
the Person Act 1861.
Sir, I submit these charges
are too serious to be heard
in this court.
Agreed. I duly direct that the case
be sent up to the Crown Court
to be tried before a jury.
I want everyone to know how unjust
the law is here in Northern Ireland.
No-one should ever have
to endure what I did.
She won't have to stand up in court.
She's 18 years old,
but she's still my child.
Theresa. I said no.
There's a woman all over the papers
facing prison for that!
Yeah. There is.
If you really believed that abortion
was murder, you would fight
to the death to stop it, too.
Do you think what we did was murder?
Honestly, I don't know.
JUDGE: You are charged that you did
unlawfully procure and supply
a poison or other noxious thing,
knowing that the same
was to be unlawfully used
or employed with the intent
to procure the miscarriage of
Orla Healy, contrary to Section 59
of the Offences against
the Person Act 1861.
BABY COOS
A little bit more?
SHE GASPS
Oh, there you go! That's your
favourite, isn't it?
Wee bit more?
BABY CRIES OU
I know, I know! Yum! Yum, yum, yum!
Good boy!
You'll not want to be late,
today of all days.
Would you stop hassling me?
I'm not going to be late,
for God's sakes!
When am I ever late?
When are you ever not?
Look, OK, it's geography,
I know you hate it,
but it's the last exam.
You'll be done by dinner time,
and then you'll be free
for the whole summer.
Stop fussing me!
Will we have pizza tonight?
You know, cos we're celebrating?
Orla!
Morning.
BABY CRIES
Han?
TOILET FLUSHES
Hannah?
You're not going to work?
I'm never as late as I look.
There are two sorts of women
in this world -
ones who are dying for their periods
to come
and ones who are dying
for it not to.
Oh, please don't tell me
we've got to keep trying.
THEY LAUGH
SHE LAUGHS
Get in that shower, stinky boy!
No obvious reason. I'm taking
my folic acid and my vitamins.
And eating your green leafies?
Both of yous?
Frozen peas don't count, do they?
SHE LAUGHS
My daughter swore by yoga.
SHE LAUGHS
No, don't laugh! Anything that
helps you relax, I suppose.
Well, I've tried everything else.
It'll happen for you.
I know it will.
You'll make such a lovely mum.
ON PHONE: But you managed to get her
out of bed.
Ach, I don't think she had
much sleep last night.
Did you not hear that awful music
playing in the wee hours?
And did you not listen to
miserable romantic rubbish
when you were her age?
I listened to Kylie Minogue.
HE LAUGHS
I wish you hadn't told me that.
Cooee!
I'll catch you later.
All right. Perfect timing,
though I say it myself.
Thanks, Mummy. No, you leave
all that for me, love.
GASPS: We'll get your mummy
organised! What a lovely boy!
There's new bananas in the bowl
there today.
Ach, I brought me own, just in case.
We know your mummy and the shopping,
don't we, love? Oh!
Right, OK. I'll see you later.
Bye-bye! Bye-bye!
Morning, morning! Morning, Theresa!
She's really good, my mummy - and
God knows I need the help
But she lets you know how lucky you
are. Yep. Loud and clear.
I feel guilty saying it
to anyone but you.
SIGHS: When it comes to mothers,
where does feeling guilty
ever get us, huh?
THEY LAUGH
Don't answer that.
I actually heard from my boy
last night. Oh, that's great!
You must be so relieved. Yeah.
Where's he got to now? Somewhere in
Thailand that I can't pronounce.
Safe and sound, though?
I'm his mother.
I don't even go there.
You heard anything from her?
Just a text - "Meetin' my friends,
back later."
Well, I'm going to take that
to mean
..nothing to worry about.
This idea that I'm the only one
round here who ever worries
HE LAUGHS
TV IN BACKGROUND
Oh! He loves watching the news,
though God only knows why.
Hey, you. Oh! Hello, little boy!
DOOR OPENS, SHUTS
Orla?
I'll see you tomorrow.
Thanks, Mummy. Bye! See you later!
I remember what it was like -
just sitting in that room,
staring at that bit of paper
and the teacher saying,
"Turn over, you may begin,"
andmy mind just going blank!
I mean, the words, the questions -
it was all double Dutch!
So don't be worrying, OK?
Hm?
I'm pregnant.
You sure? Yeah.
He won't leave me alone.
He says he loves me.
So he'll stand by you, then?
WHISPERS: Hey.
We getting a bit late for them
pizzas? Er, no, no. You go ahead.
You put them in. She's back.
She's fine. Sounds fine.
But, you know
Stop fussin' with Mummy.
15 minutes, ladies! Yeah.
Don't tell him.
Promise.
Well Can't it just be
you and me again?
What are you doing?
Girls like me go to England,
don't they? It's what they do.
A thousand girls a year.
It says so here.
We've never even been to England.
Where would we get
that kind of money?
I mean, there'll be flights on top
of that.
And
..abortion is a sin, Orla.
It's a mortal sin.
That's so easy to say.
..until it happens to you.
So you took him back, then?
Yeah.
That much of an idiot.
But it's over now?
That's me trying to run away.
Jesus Christ!
When I told him
..he said he'd kick it out of me.
He said he'd stab me
the day that it was born.
He says I've got to get rid of it.
Says he'll tell everybody
I'm a slag.
Please don't say anything,
please don't.
Please.
I can say I'll help you.
And I can say I love you.
I'm SO ashamed.
What's going on?
Nothing.
Exams. We're We're done.
We're done.
I like the middle one. Don't say
you can't tell the difference.
I like yellow. I don't hold with
all the pink and blue stuff.
No, me neither.
OK, so I won't start knitting before
I actually fall pregnant
Whatever you want is fine with me.
I never knew it was possible
to want anything this much.
SHE GASPS, LAUGHS
No!
NEWSREADER: It's one of the most
restrictive abortion laws
in the world.
Anyone who illegally terminates
a pregnancy in Northern Ireland
could be sent to prison for life.
Marie Stopes is the only
private clinic
to offer abortion advice in Belfast.
And every day since it opened,
protesters have gathered outside
I am just behind that woman with the
dark hair. Let me see.
No, I've gone!
Theresa, come and see this.
In a wee bit.
You should stand near the front
next time, Louise.
SHE GASPS
Look, there's Deirdre. Yeah, and
Annemarie.
There's a dozen or more of us
from church.
Do the mothers of these girls
not know what they get up to?
Or do they not care? It's not
a young girl's kind of thing.
Grown women come to that place,
women old enough to know better.
It's just shameful. OK, I think
we're done here, aren't we? Ah!
Good boy! Let's get you home.
Good boy!
There we go. Thanks, Mum.
Bye-bye! Love, if you have still
a gap between 10.00 and 11.00,
the product shelf's
looking a bit thin.
Theresa?
Oh! He's just gorgeous.
They grow up so fast. Hm.
Blink and you miss it, eh?
Oh, don't forget, I have to leave at
half one today.
CHANTING: Say yes to life,
say yes to life, say yes to life!
CHANTING CONTINUES, GETS LOUDER
So, there's no days when you don't
have the protesters outside?
ON PHONE: We have a team of
trained volunteers
to escort you past them
if that's a service you'd like.
I don't I don't know.
DOOR OPENS
Theresa! If you've got a wee minute,
this is really starting
to get on my nerves.
Yeah, sit yourself down, Mummy.
I'll get it!
Yeah, just bills.
Right.
This one now
and four of these tomorrow.
Ach, love.
Would it be so bad?
We already have one baby
in the house.
You wouldn't be on your own.
You know, it might even be fun
to watch them grow up together.
I want a life, Ma.
I want to do my A-levels.
I want to go to university.
You know? I don't want
A life like mine.
MOBILE VIBRATES
You're not still in touch with him?
He's still in touch with me.
Can you not switch your phone off?!
If I go through with this
..I'll have him out of
my life forever.
Dear God!
This is a huge thing,
a terrible thing. You mustn't do it
just cos it's what he wants.
It's what I want, Ma.
I'm doing it for me.
Thank you.
38, 39, 40,
41, 42, 43, 44,
45, 46, 47,
48, 49,
50, 51, 52,
53, 54, 55,
56, 57
58, 59, 60.
SHE SQUEALS, LAUGHS
SHE SQUEALS
Really?
HE LAUGHS
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God.
THEY LAUGH
You're not telling anyone.
Not till we're sure.
But I saw the blue line for myself.
12 weeks.
Whenever I'm 12 weeks, you can tell
the whole world.
What if I'm a rubbish da?
I'll divorce you.
SHE LAUGHS
Sure, everyone will know anyway.
I mean, look at the face on you!
SHE LAUGHS
Two coffees, mate. Thank you.
What happened to waiting till
12 weeks?
I never told her, she guessed!
A total stranger?
SHE CHUCKLES
THEY SIGH
SHE CHUCKLES
YELLING
Argh!
Sh, you're OK. Argh!
You're OK.
SHE GROANS
Sh, Orla, sh.
Oh, my God! You're OK.
Oh, my You're OK. Argh!
SHE GROANS
Oh, my God, oh, my God!
Darling, you have to sh.
SHE CALLS OU
It's just bad dreams. I'm not ill,
I don't need to see a doctor.
You shouldn't still be bleeding.
Why does he have to know anyway?
I don't want anyone to know.
He's your doctor,
who's he going to tell?
It's all confidential.
Pills from the internet, I see.
And you took these pills
how long ago?
Eight. Nine.
Nine days ago.
Mifepristone and misoprostol -
it's powerful drugs
for an underage girl to take
without a prescription
from a doctor.
Dr O'Brien, please, can you not
just give her something?
Even just to stop the poor
wee girl from bleeding.
I'm going to refer you to the
gynaecology clinic, Orla.
And for the nightmares
and the anxiety,
we might also want to consider
getting you checked out
by the adolescent mental
health team.
Thank you.
Counselling?!
It's a kind offer.
You've been through a lot.
It's over. I don't want it to keep
coming back to haunt me.
WOMAN: Morning, ladies!
WHISPERING: Jesus. Great.
Hi, gorgeous Orla!
Long time, no see.
I know, it's just with school
and everything
Oh. Bet you're looking
forward to the summer -
got loads of lovely plans, aye?
We have plans to rest up after all
these god-forsaken exams, eh?
You must be exhausted.
Is that why you've been to
the doctor, aye?
No, no. Just a wee sore throat.
Well, don't be giving it to me, now.
THEY CHUCKLE
See you later. See you later.
Bye! Bye.
Who'd be a person with a secret
in a place like this?
Come on.
There's your baby's heartbeat.
HEART BEATS ON SCREEN
God, it's really happening!
I can't be sure of the sex
at 12 weeks.
Oh, I don't want to know.
My husband likes surprises.
I love surprises.
Oh, put the due date. Aye.
KEYBOARD CLACKS
Right. Mm-hm. OK?
Already! Aw!
HE CHUCKLES
PHONE RINGS
Who's that? It's Tess.
Baby Central, how can I help you?
LAUGHING: Ah! Ha-ha!
Thank you!
She says, "Congratulations."
SHE LAUGHS
April. Yeah!
SHE LAUGHS
MUFFLED CHATTER
Orla? The head wants a word.
CROWD: Oh, ho-ho, ho-ho!
APPROACHING FOOTSTEPS
Come on in, Orla.
This is Detective Constable Fallon.
Yes, I'm a police officer.
But don't worry, Orla,
you're not in any trouble.
Sit down.
Please, sit down.
What on earth is going on?
She started out, she said she was
from child protection.
She knew I was underage,
she knew he abused me, Ma.
She knew everything!
But, how? And then she asked me
about the pills.
And where I got them from.
Mummy, everybody saw me go in there
and soon everybody's going to know.
It's OK, you're OK.
Come on away home.
KEYBOARD CLACKS
HEART BEATS
There.
It sounds so fast.
Babies can do 160 beats a
minute in the womb.
Hm? I like doing the homework.
Will we go for a fry after?
We can look for a pram.
RAPID HEARTBEATS
What's that, there? G-A.
What does that mean?
Gestational age.
But I'm 20 weeks. We know that.
So why does it say 12?
Sorry, I do need to concentrate.
It's all right.
OK, there are a few wee things
I'm not happy about.
I'm just going to get
your consultant to take a look.
DOOR OPENS
DOOR SHUTS
Most likely, it'll turn
out to be nothing.
How is that a helpful thing to say?
BABY CRIES
I just mean that we shouldn't
God, how much longer?
Mrs Kennedy?
I'm looking at the femurs -
the thighbones - here and here.
They're very severely foreshortened,
can you see? And curved.
It appears your baby has
a form of dwarfism.
So that's
What I mean, people
People do have dwarfism
and still have lives.
It's not the end of the world.
Your sonographer also made a note
for me to look at the chest.
It's very narrow and shaped
like a bell - do you see?
A bell? Yes, I suppose so.
Taken together with
the short femurs,
it indicates a condition called
thanatophoric dysplasia.
I'm going to send you to
Foetal Medicine
for a second opinion.
But the heartbeat, Dr Baines,
it's so strong.
The heart has taken up all the space
in this tiny ribcage.
Your baby's lungs have no
room to develop.
So, when it
I don't want to say "it" any more.
You can say "she".
Hm.
Your baby's a girl.
She'll most likely be stillborn.
If she survives the birth,
she'll die very soon
from respiratory failure.
And she'll suffocate?
There's no immediate risk
to you or to your baby,
so you can just carry on as normal.
She's going to die.
Or if the diagnosis is confirmed,
as this is a fatal foetal
abnormality,
termination of the pregnancy
might be a possibility.
SHE SOBS
My baby is going to die.
SHE SOBS
KEYBOARD CLACKS
Thanatapho Thanat It's an O.
Thanatophoric.
KEYBOARD CLACKS
You've already looked it up.
It's Greek.
PHOR as in Christophor -
who carried Christ.
And THANATO, that'sGreek, too.
Greek for "death."
Death carrying.
What are we going to do?
Nothing tonight. Let's sleep on it.
Sleep?
Are you joking?
We have to talk about this!
It's too big to deal with tonight.
Mrs Ryan?
Uh-huh.
Detective Constable Fallon.
Nothing to be alarmed about.
Could we please have a word about
your daughter down at the station?
ENGINE IGNITES
If you've teenagers at home?
No.
Well, maybe you'll remember
what you were like
yourselves back then.
And your poor mothers.
Orla was 15 when she fell pregnant?
She was, aye.
It's not how she was
brought up, but You know?
And when did she tell you?
25th of June.
I'll never forget that.
Did you order the pills for
her on the same day?
No. No, the day after.
If you don't
If you don't mind me asking,
how did you know about that?
Were you aware at all that these
pills are abortifacients?
That the pills cause abortion
..which is illegal.
No.
No, I
No, what
Abortion is
..issurgery.
You know, you
You have to have an operation.
You have to You have to
go to hospital and then they
No, these
You see, the pills, they just
They just bring on your period.
You know? So - it's not the same.
It's not the same. Well, that's
That's what I thought.
Anyway, it's It's private
family business, so
No. No, no, no, no. I'm sorry.
This is This is not over. OK?
I have questions, OK?
I am her mother.
I should have been there in the
school whenever you talked to her.
Mrs Ryan, it's routine to
interview in the absence of parents
on matters of child protection.
She doesn't need protecting from me!
Look, they were just some
pills from the Internet.
It's what she wanted -
that's the important thing.
If you've got a solicitor
Whenever would I have a need
for one of those?
I just I need to see a solicitor.
Take a seat.
PHONE RINGS
I know I've been stupid.
Well Worse than stupid.
Because I've never had
a secret in my life
and I'm sitting in the biggest
one you could imagine.
And you know what
it's like round here?
Everyone will find out
and our family will be
Nobody will want to know us and
nobody will understand.
Tell me who knows already.
Nobody. Me and Orla.
And you andthe boyfriend.
The mental health people.
Our doctor.
Her head teacher and the police.
And whoever told them,
which could be anybody. Jesus!
Her father?
No, no. He left
when she was a wee girl.
She has a stepfather now and
they get on right enough,
but she's made me promise
not to tell.
So, I can't tell my mummy
because it'll be all my fault,
and my best friend spends
her afternoons demonstrating
outside Marie Stopes.
I'm pretty confident it won't
come to anything.
These pills are coming
into the country all the time
and nobody has ever been prosecuted.
But, Theresa, alone is
such a hard place to be.
Mark, everything all right
with Theresa?
Nothing a bit of sunshine won't fix.
What is it, John?
Visitors - with warrant cards.
Right.
PHONE VIBRATES
SHE SOBS
SHE SOBS
HE SIGHS
DOOR OPENS
DOOR SHUTS
I've been worried sick.
We have never been in any kind
of trouble with the police - ever.
Well, we're not in any kind
of trouble now.
I told them everything
and And they were fine.
She's 15.
Who is he?
Who is he?
Just some
Just some boy - she met him in town.
I want his name.
I want to go round his house and
kick the shit out of him.
No. No, you don't.
And what options have you left me,
the pair of yous?
I mean, what did you think
I would do if you told me?
I wasn't
I wasn't thinking that way.
Do I even belong in this family?
Yes, of course you do.
Mark, look, I'm sorry, but the truth
is she didn't want you to know.
I've loved her like my own child.
Yes, I know. And that's why
she was ashamed!
By God, I shouldn't
have to spell it out.
DOOR SHUTS
Orla?
This all hurts.
But what hurts the most is that you
and your mother both saw fit
to keep it a secret from me.
Don't, Mark. She's already been
through enough.
Ma, you promised
Don't walk away from me, Orla.
Listen to me!
Why?!
This is none of your business!
Excuse me, who puts a roof
over your head?
Will you both stop shouting - do you
want this whole estate to know?
Well, they all know that the
police come looking for you.
Ma?
Look, it was nothing, love. OK?
It was just box ticking, nothing bad
is going to happen, I promise.
Ma, are people knowing?
No-one else is going to know.
Are you going to tell them?
No? Is your mother?
It's over.
You put this behind you.
You go back to school,
you do your exams,
you pass your exams - all of them.
For God's sake!
What else is she going to do?
Go to bed.
Go to bed!
DOOR SLAMS UPSTAIRS
This never happened.
The end.
Whenever my parents split up
..I remember I thought,
I'm never get married.
And then you came along.
And all I thought of then
..the babies would come out.
All pretty babies.
They will.
We will have them one day.
As many as you want.
Is that it, then?
Is that our decision?
We'll go for the termination.
So mummy, dearest, how did it go?
I've never spent a single minute
thinking about abortion in my life.
I mean, you don't, do you?
It's something
that happens to other women.
But you wanted this baby so much?
I haven't stopped loving her.
I haven't stopped wanting her,
I've never wanted anything so much.
This is such a hard thing
to have to say to you.
But, Hannah, abortion is wrong.
It's killing babies.
My baby has a fatal
foetal abnormality.
That's what's killing her.
Even if that's true
..God, no, I will not
True? What?
I mean, it's only a doctor's
opinion, isn't it?
You don't have to go
along with it.
Hannah
..you have a chance to give your
child her one precious
chance of life.
Oh, Hannah, show mercy.
Mercy?
You want me to give birth to her
and watch her die in agony?
How's that merciful to either of us.
I have a phone call at 11:00.
I won't tell anyone about
this conversation, Hannah,
and neither should you.
It's not a thing you want
people gossiping about.
Mrs Kennedy?
And so we've been discussing
it and researching it
and debating all our options.
And we've decided that the best
thing for us
would be to say that, yes,
we'll have the termination.
Well, you know, that's not going
to happen.
Dr Ben said it was an option.
She shouldn't have said that.
Excuse me, it's not illegal.
We looked up the figures online,
official figures.
There's been 91 abortions
in the last year.
Oh, I don't know where they
happened.
Not in this hospital.
Well, mymy baby has
a fatal foetal abnormality.
Surely there should be an assessment
of my mental health.
We phoned the psychiatrist and
he said, no,
he wouldn't sign off
on a termination.
So
..you made an assessment
of the state of my mental health
..before you even met me.
You will go on under our care
through to the end
of a normal pregnancy and give birth
to your baby in the normal way.
No, nothing about this is normal,
it's
Nothing about this is right.
Over there. See?
Don't kill your baby.
Please don't kill your baby.
Your beautiful baby loves you.
Not so close, please.
These people can't help you.
Whatever you're going through
right now Excuse me.
..multiply it by 10,000, OK?
Your baby's alive.
Your baby loves you.
CHANTING: Save every life!
Save every life!
PROTESTORS CLAMOUR
Marie Stopes International,
how may I help you?
Um, I live in Northern Ireland
and I need a termination.
Can I ask how far on you are
with your pregnancy?
23 weeks and six days.
Unfortunately, our Belfast clinic
can only help up to nine weeks.
Marie Stopes International,
how may I help you?
I was just telling someone
I live in Northern Ireland
and I'm too far along
to get a termination here.
So now I'm calling to see
if I can come to England, please.
Can I ask how far on you are
with your pregnancy?
23 weeks and six days.
I'm so sorry -
policy in England for
Missed the deadline by a whole day.
A whole day.
I'm not heading out.
Look, that's a big race
you're trained for -
you can't just stop.
You've just got to wait now.
Wait while life goes on.
LINE RINGS
PHONE RINGS
One minute. Hannah?
You said if, um
..if I needed some time from work
What's happening?
I'm going to have to carry
the baby to term.
I think
I hope you'll be glad in the end,
glad you went through with it.
You've just got no idea
what this is like.
Nobody has any idea
what this is like.
Are you alone, love?
Is Jonathan not with you?
He's in work. What do you think?
Take as long as you need.
OK?
NEWSCASTER: More than 15,000 people
have been taking part
in the Belfast Marathon.
I'm not sure
it's a spectator sport.
Another personal best
while I wasn't looking?
Three hours, 12.
It's great that you've got
somewhere to put it. Hmm.
All the pressure.
See, John, I have noticed
that it's happening to you too.
Ah, go on with you, I'm all right.
SHE INHALES SHARPLY
All right? Mm-hm. Here.
"Through to the end
of a normal pregnancy."
But you're in constant pain,
there's nothing normal about that.
Is there not something more
they can do?
I'm already on all this morphine
twice a day.
If they give me anything else,
I'll never wake up.
Stay in bed tomorrow. No, no.
I'm coming in to Belfast
to give you your champion's lunch.
It can wait - stay in bed.
I'll go mad.
Madder.
Now, there is lovely -
you're the before and I'm the after.
Is it a boy or a girl?
Little girl. Gorgeous.
And when are you due? April.
God, you're big. Mind you, so was I.
Felt like I had a whole
football team inside of me,
and she was
only six-and-a-half pounds.
But it's all worth it in the end.
Excuse me. S-sorry.
Walking now -
don't know where the time goes.
We'll walk up the steps.
We'll leave Mummy to have a wee sit.
SHE GASPS AND GROANS IN PAIN
SHE PANTS
I'm coming. I'm on my way.
Stay calm. I love you.
I'm coming.
Settle.
SHE CRIES
That's it, breathe.
Breathe.
SHE SCREAMS
I don't want to hurt her, I don't
CAMERA CLICKS
For your memory box.
No, no, no, I
Thank you, but no.
We don't need any help
to remember her, thank you.
Here.
What's this?
You're going to have to stand up
in court.
I thought it was over.
I wanted to believe it was over.
"For unlawfully procuring
and unlawfully supplying a poison
"or other noxious thing"
I'm very surprised, I must say.
"..knowing the same was intended
to be unlawfully used with intent
"to procure a miscarriage
contrary to Section 59"
There's never been a prosecution.
"..contrary to Section 59
"of the Offences Against
the Person Act, 1861."
1861 - that's insane.
They'll drop it. I still think so.
Can you guarantee my wife
won't end up in prison?
I can guarantee we're going to fight
this every inch of the way.
How long will I get?
The maximum sentence is five years.
HANNAH: I want us to do something
proper to remember her by.
Something real.
None of it will ever feel real
to me.
No-one should ever
have to go through this.
MUFFLED VOICES
No, listen, the only way to help
that poor woman facing trial,
whoever she is, is direct action.
Come on. Here's what we do.
Hannah. Sorry.
I'm Jenny. We just started. You go
on and you order the same pills.
Then we call the media.
Then we all take the pills in front
of the cameras
and then we call the police
and we say,
"So now arrest the whole lot of us,
why don't you? You big bullies!"
Not putting you off at all,
are we?
No, no, I'm
I came because I read in
the newspaper that the government's
considering changing the law
on fatal foetal abnormality.
Buying us off with a concession
when it's got to be all or nothing.
A woman's right to choose, end of.
No, we have to go for this.
There's women out there right now
being forced to give birth
to dead babies.
So then I told them what happened
to me, to us, and they got
really interested
cos they're doing this thing,
like a really big challenge
in the courts, to tell everyone
that the rules here are too strict
and they breach our human rights.
And they've got all these arguments
and loads of lawyers
But Jenny says what they need now
is victims.
Victims? Women who've been
through it to stand up
and tell their stories.
You want to be a victim?
Well, no, I mean,
it's just a form of words.
It's just a little town, Hannah -
it's not Belfast.
No, it's 20 miles away
and four years ago.
You want to relive the worst time
of our lives in public?
But this feels so good.
After all the grief and awfulness,
it feels
..like the start of something new.
And I'm ready, John.
I am ready.
Will I tell the lawyers
they can't use my name
or show my face?
I'll be the invisible woman.
HE LAUGHS
If it helps just one other person,
it'll be worth it.
So there's a few press. Press?
You mean reporters?
Jesus! Don't worry, they're not
allowed to report your name
or anything that might identify
Orla, as she's underage.
Stay close to me, OK?
And we'll do that thing
where we pretend we belong here.
Here. Right.
Let's
You are charged that you did
unlawfully procure and supply
a poison or other noxious thing,
namely mifepristone and misoprostol,
knowing that the same was
to be unlawfully used or employed
with the intent to procure
the miscarriage of Orla Healy,
contrary to Section 59
of the Offences Against
the Person Act 1861.
Sir, I submit these charges
are too serious to be heard
in this court.
Agreed. I duly direct that the case
be sent up to the Crown Court
to be tried before a jury.
I want everyone to know how unjust
the law is here in Northern Ireland.
No-one should ever have
to endure what I did.
She won't have to stand up in court.
She's 18 years old,
but she's still my child.
Theresa. I said no.
There's a woman all over the papers
facing prison for that!
Yeah. There is.
If you really believed that abortion
was murder, you would fight
to the death to stop it, too.
Do you think what we did was murder?
Honestly, I don't know.