New Amsterdam (2018) s05e07 Episode Script

This can't be happening.
I can't believe they did it.
- We knew this was coming.
- We have to do something.
Can we make some noise?
- Can we go make some noise?
- That's enough!
Right now, you have a job to do here.
You have patients who need you here.
So focus up and get back to work.
Now!
Except for you.
Do something.
As in what, Karen?
Fix this.
The Supreme Court made a decision.
What if I were to give you
all the resources
this hospital has to offer,
carte blanche?
What if the only words to come
out of my mouth today were,
yes, and how much do you want?
How can you help?
You have to cancel this tour.
It's too late.
They're already on their way.
What am I supposed to say
to a bunch of kids?
Love denying people their rights?
Great, become a doctor.
I know, but these kids coming in,
they're high performers
from at-risk communities
that want to go into medicine.
Plus, they're coming from places
most impacted by this ruling.
So it's like Brantley said,
we got to just buckle down
and forget about what's
happening out there.
Right, forget about all
the women out there
with unwanted or dangerous pregnancies,
just forget about my own life.
Your own life?
Yeah, it was a while ago.
I was addicted to Adderall.
I mean, I couldn't be pregnant,
and I really couldn't
be someone's mother.
When was that?
It was a while ago. Why does it matter?
Wasn't that while we were together?
This is where the tour starts?
Dr. Wilder, thanks for coming.
Of course.
Hi, I'm Elizabeth Wilder.
It's very nice to meet you, Michelle.
Good to meet you.
I assume Dr. Rao told you
about what we found
in your cervical biopsy.
Abnormal cells?
That's right.
Now, unfortunately, they are malignant,
which tells us
that you have cervical cancer.
Cancer?
Based on the scans,
the cancer has already metastasized.
There are no guarantees, of course,
but with aggressive chemotherapy,
your prognosis looks very promising.
Chemo?
But won't that hurt my baby?
The chemical agents in chemotherapy
are called teratogenic.
This means that they
will halt any pregnancy.
Halt?
What do you mean?
Your fetus will not survive.
Michelle, I cannot begin to imagine
what you are feeling right now.
But my medical advice for you
is that we schedule
a D and C this afternoon
to start chemo as soon as possible.
D and C?
Dilation and curettage.
It's a minor procedure
that removes the tissue
from the inner lining of the uterus.
An abortion just say abortion.
Yes, an abortion.
Do you know what
I was doing this morning
before I came here for what was supposed
to be a routine checkup?
I was with my friends
celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade.
I'm not having an abortion, Dr. Wilder,
not today, not ever.
Yeah, hi, this is Dr. Max Goodwin.
I'm calling
from New Amsterdam in New York.
Listen, I'm calling
about today's ruling.
We have a lot of resources
to use however we can
to do something massive,
all right, something fast,
something to help fix
what happened today.
So I'm listening. How can I help?
Well, I just canceled over
half my clinic's appointments
because we now live in a
regime that mandates forced birth.
Can you help with that?
The state's attorney
is gonna prosecute us
retroactively, so we need a lawyer,
one versed in Utah medical law,
the half dozen different
statutory definitions
of fetal life currently under
debate in the legislature,
and obviously, they got
to be Supreme Court ready.
I've got a woman
with an ectopic pregnancy.
It'll never come to term.
If left untreated,
it'll likely kill her.
And if I so much as take an ultrasound,
we could all go to jail.
Max, most of my patients can't miss
an afternoon of work,
let alone several days.
Then there's child care,
the price of gas,
a hotel, not to mention,
my clinic is surrounded on all sides
by hundreds of miles of red Texas.
How close is your clinic to Fort Hood?
The military base? Why?
There he is, just the man I need to see.
Sergeant Todd.
- Dr. Goodwin.
- Tell me about Fort Hood.
Why? You gonna enlist?
I'm gonna open an abortion clinic.
There's a choice! Just walk away!
Baby killer, murderer!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Where are you going?
- If you go in there
- I need to get in there.
You are going straight to hell, bitch.
- Stop it.
- You're a murderer.
- A baby killer!
- I'm going to kill him.
No, no, no, no, no, wait.
We need to de-escalate.
See that?
That's what abortion looks like.
That's a dead baby.
Show the world your face, you murderer.
- Sir, sir!
- Don't touch me.
Don't you touch me. Get away from me!
- The police are on the way.
- Don't touch me.
This is what a baby killer looks like.
- 6 feet of distance please.
- Get your hands off me.
Get back!
Okay, wait, Todd, just hear me out.
I rushed down here
because I thought you had
something serious to discuss.
Yeah, I am serious, okay?
Fort Hood is on federal land,
which means that it's
not subject to state law.
Or the crazy whims of
progressive medical directors.
Military bases have always
been used in tough times,
emergency housing for hurricane victims
or quarantine wards during the pandemic.
This is not that.
Okay, but if the military can lease land
to freaking Starbucks and Taco Bell,
then maybe they can lease it
to protect people's
right to have an abortion.
The military exists
to defend the Constitution.
Nowhere in the Constitution
does it state that a person
has a right to an abortion.
Also nowhere
in the original Constitution
does it state the right to
privacy or the right to vote,
but we can infer them
from the other things
that the Constitution does say.
Really? There's no right to vote?
Nowhere, and I just looked it up,
knowing that we
would have this exact fight,
so kudos to me.
- Great.
- Shall we?
The military was created
to protect its citizens
against all enemies,
foreign and domestic.
Now you're suggesting
the U.S. Supreme Court
is an enemy of the state?
No, Todd, I am
not suggesting that, all right?
What I am suggesting is that
the United States government
is intruding on the private lives
of its American citizens.
- You know I'm a libertarian?
- Oh, I do.
Now you're deliberately
talking like a libertarian
to get me to change my mind.
Yes, I am because I know
that marching into a room full
of military guys and making
a rights-based argument
that they should open an abortion clinic
on an Army base is just
the kind of contrarian thing
that makes libertarians
like you get up in the morning.
Fort Hood is a nonstarter.
But we might find a more sympathetic ear
at Joint Base Camp Bullis.
- Bullis?
- Yeah.
I'll make some calls.
That man was harassing a patient.
I couldn't just ignore it.
So I stepped in to de-escalate.
And then you clocked him.
It was an accident. I don't
Dr. Frome, this man
wants to put you in jail
and sue the hospital.
He what?
Luckily for you, our council
has managed to broker a deal,
and he's agreed to drop the charges.
- He has?
- On one condition.
What condition? Anything.
He wants an apology.
That's it? He wants an apology?
I can't.
And this is the operating room
where we perform operations.
And here we have Doctor
Winters.
Yes, I'm so sorry.
Dr. Winters is an excellent
Anesthesiologist.
With whom you've worked for many years.
Of course.
All you, Dr. Winters.
Thank you, Dr. Reynolds.
Welcome to New Amsterdam.
We're so excited to have you.
- I think we need to talk.
- About what?
About what? About what you told me.
I don't really think
there's anything to talk about.
I got pregnant. I got an abortion.
It's definitely your choice
to make, but
But?
You didn't tell me?
I mean, what,
did you think I was gonna be
upset with you or something?
Okay, this may blow your mind,
but I wasn't thinking
about your feelings
very much at all.
Look, I'm not saying
my needs come before yours.
I'm I don't know,
Lauren, I'm just having
a very human reaction to the fact
that you and I conceived a baby.
An embryo, one that neither
of us planned for or wanted.
No, no, no, you didn't know what I did
and didn't want because you didn't ask.
Well, I took your dumping me
as a pretty clear indication.
But we were still friends, Lauren.
We were seeing each other.
We almost had a child together.
Isn't that something
that I'd have a right to know?
I mean, wouldn't you think that that
that would mean something to me?
Right, so when you told me I
didn't fit into your life plan,
me having your baby
would have changed that?
It's
They're ready to move on.
Without chemo, she's gonna die.
We just got to figure out
a way to get her
through her second trimester.
After that, we can administer
chemo with little risk
to the fetus.
Okay, so what about vaccine therapy?
It won't work for cervical cancer.
Targeted radiation?
Not targeted enough.
It's the same problem,
the fetus will be compromised.
Of all the days to get this patient.
It's like, are you kidding me?
Dr. Rao, with all due respect,
let's not let our personal feelings
get in the way of helping our patient.
Our patient is getting in the
way of helping our patient.
She's asking for a choice,
just like we would.
Well, I can't think of any.
Can you?
I can think of one.
Michelle, we're gonna to try something.
It's not chemo. It's not radiation.
It's surgery,
an aggressive and risky one.
We're gonna resect several
of your organs
to remove the growth.
Even if we get it all,
and there is absolutely
no guarantee that we will,
you're gonna be dealing
with lifelong consequences.
In all likelihood, you will
have to wear a colostomy bag
for the rest of your life.
Now, I really want to be clear
that this is not what I recommend.
But it is the only option
that allows you
to preserve your pregnancy and gives you
a chance to survive.
Thank you for hearing me.
Todd, tell me something good.
It's a no-go.
Why not?
Gah, give me one good reason
that they'll rent space
to a frickin' Applebee's,
but not reproductive health services.
Because one sells hot wings,
and the other is a logistical nightmare
and a massive security risk
to everyone on that base.
Yeah, so you're telling me
that protecting pregnant people
would be what,
difficult, maybe dangerous?
- Yes.
- Yeah.
Kind of sounds like the thing
the military was made for.
Max, this whole federal land loophole
it isn't real.
State land, federal land
it's all just words.
Texas is a conservative state.
That doesn't stop just because
somebody draws a border.
But what about the border
that no one drew?
You know, I could say cryptic
things and just leave too.
Thank you for your service.
Love you, Todd!
Oh, great.
Brantley brought in the big guns, huh?
She wanted me
to talk some sense into you.
I couldn't do it, Martin.
I couldn't apologize to that guy.
Look at him.
I know it would make
this whole thing go away,
would make it so easy,
but the way he was treating that woman,
the way he thought he could
treat another human being.
I can't. I'm not gonna do it.
I won't apologize.
You need to accept that.
I do.
And I'm proud of you.
You refused to back down
from something you believed in.
That's the noble,
stubborn Iggy that I know.
Yeah?
And now you need to apologize.
What?
We have children.
And if one of their parents
lost their jobs
and gained a criminal record,
that would spell trouble
even in the best of times.
But now, with Roe overturned,
come on, Iggy,
it's right there written
in Clarence Thomas's opinion
that the court should reconsider
outlawing gay marriage.
We could be living in a country
that could take our
children away from us.
If we've got to fight that fight,
and you have a criminal record
We can't take our lives
for granted anymore.
They're our kids.
We've got to protect them
with everything we have.
You're right.
I'll do it.
Right, you know when
you get blood work done
and someone sends you the results?
This is where the magic happens.
You're up.
I don't know if I'd call it magic,
but it is pretty special.
Hey, everyone. So this is a centrifuge.
It allows platelets
and blood plasma to be isolated
from other blood components.
I should have told you
because we're friends.
Yeah.
Because it would have made a difference.
No, no, I don't buy that for one second.
This is really about you wanting a say
in what I do with my life.
Whoa, hold up.
All I did was ask a question
about something
that had to do with me.
It's what happens every time.
Every time men, good men,
have a conversation about abortion,
it's all women's rights
and, "We're your ally,"
right up until the point
the abortion affects them.
And that is what is
happening here, Floyd.
Because we're not talking
about my abortion, are we?
No, we're talking about how
you feel about my abortion.
We're suddenly, but not surprisingly,
taking care of you.
What were your feelings about it?
My feelings?
I didn't have any.
It was not a big deal.
If it wasn't a big deal,
why did it take you five years
to tell me about it?
Hi.
I showed them all
the bells and whistles.
Do you all need more time, or
Gentle, gentle, easy.
Gravid uterus intact.
No sign of tumor invasion.
Suction.
Richardson?
Expansive tumor,
invading multiple organs.
It's gonna be a wide incision.
Scalpel.
Scalpel.
What?
It's just that this is
a lot of hospital resources
for something that can be
dealt with in a simpler way.
And it's risky.
Scalpel!
You cut now, and that's her bladder.
That's Foley catheter for the
rest of her life, Elizabeth.
You cut her bowel,
and that's a colostomy bag.
Are you sure this woman's politics
are worth the physical sacrifice?
All right, look.
When a patient comes to me,
I don't see their beliefs.
I see their cancer.
And I listen to what they need.
So you and this entire team
are gonna do what
this patient needs you to do!
Is that clear?
Yes.
When I said carte blanche,
Max, I wasn't expecting this.
Well, you told me to take on the world.
- So why not start here?
- An old boat.
Well, not just any boat, okay?
The first in our fleet
because we are starting
our very own line
of floating abortion clinics.
Oh, you're serious.
Yes, yes, do you know
where you can't gamble?
Hawaii. But guess where you can.
In the federal waters just
off the coast of Hawaii.
All right, they made it illegal
to get an abortion in Texas.
Well then, how about the Gulf of Mexico,
federal waters?
How would this all work?
All right,
so about 9 miles off the coast,
we could run a floating clinic.
And it would be perfectly legal.
We wouldn't be violating any state laws.
- And it would be safe?
- Yes.
All right, I spoke
to a doctor friend of mine
who runs a hospital ship.
He told me everything I need to know
to get it running and down south.
And honestly, it's not that different
from running a clinic on land.
How long would you need?
I don't know, a few days.
And then we get it down around
Florida and past Louisiana.
And then it's a straight shot
to Galveston.
I can't believe I'm saying it,
but this could actually work.
Did I hear you say Galveston?
Yeah, that's right.
There's no way this boat's
making it to Galveston.
Truth be told, she can
barely make it to Jersey.
Uh, I was told she was seaworthy.
Yeah, for a floating nightclub maybe.
But I wouldn't advise
taking her out of the harbor
unless you like swimming.
So much for being a pirate.
That's it.
That's it, Karen.
I keep trying to think
of all these legal ways
around this decision, when obviously,
the only solution is
actually completely illegal.
I am afraid for this country.
I'm afraid of what is gonna happen
if we don't start
listening to one another
because I think that
that's the only thing
that will break this cycle of hate
that's tearing us apart.
Now, I'm sure for you,
abortion is cut and dry.
It's murder.
That is a concept
that is utterly alien to me.
But I accept your right to believe it.
- Where's my apology?
- I'm getting to it!
Because I believe in rights,
just like you.
We get to bear arms.
We have the right to bear arms.
You believe in that, right? Don't you?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, you do.
Would you want the government
- to take that right away?
- No.
So then why would you take
that woman's rights away?
Shouldn't people have rights
over their own body?
Now, you say that you believe the right
to rail against government overreach.
But there is only one group of people
that had anything taken
away from them today,
people who seek abortions.
I know it's hard for you to believe,
but you had nothing
taken from you today.
You think it's okay
to walk up to a stranger
and antagonize them?
For what? What world do you live in?
What country do you live in?
That's not the world I want to live in.
And you know what else?
This is not an apology, not anymore.
- Iggy
- No and another thing.
I punched you in the face on purpose.
I loved it.
I would punch you
in the face again, gladly.
I am standing up for rights,
even yours, you jerk.
Iggy, Iggy
If that means I'm committing a crime,
then take me to jail.
Iggy.
Iggy.
Well?
Uh
I apologize. I should not have hit you.
Okay.
All right, free to go.
All right, so that is life
in medicine, I guess.
I hope you guys learned a lot.
And thank you for coming.
Any questions?
Right oh, that was rhetorical,
but, yeah, okay, you.
I'm kind of thinking this huge thing
happened today,
but like, you guys haven't
said anything about it.
You're acting like it
didn't even happen.
Right.
Thank you
Kisha.
Kisha.
I've had two abortions.
I got my first when I was in college.
I was 20.
Someone slipped something in my drink,
and I woke up in a stranger's bed
with no memory
of what had happened to me.
And I got the second one
around five years ago.
I was falling in love with someone
who would have made an amazing father.
But he told me that I
didn't fit into his future.
Those were both
very difficult times for me.
But deciding whether or not
to have an abortion,
I mean, that was clear.
And I was able to do the right,
responsible thing.
And I was able to get it
done safely and quickly.
But you know what?
The circumstances
they shouldn't even matter.
You should be able to get an abortion
simply because you are pregnant
and you don't want to be.
I mean, that is
the very definition of choice.
Dr. Reynolds and I
we became doctors to help people.
That's why we come here every day.
It's our strongest calling.
Do you want to know what I
think about today's ruling?
You guys want to be doctors,
nurses, med techs.
Well, then you should really think
about getting into obstetrics
and gynecology
because we really need you
now more than ever.
How did it go?
Were you able to get all of it?
Michelle, we had
to pull out of your surgery.
The cancer progressed
further than the scan showed.
I was not able to resect all
of the cancerous tissue.
So what now?
Well, now I recommend
that we look at other options.
Abortion?
To save your life, yes.
Thank you for trying, Dr. Wilder.
But I think I need
to find another doctor.
Michelle, can you try to
not make this about politics?
This here is a medical decision.
And that's it.
This isn't just politics,
Dr. Wilder, not to me.
These are my beliefs,
my core, my values.
You're asking me to change who I am.
To save your life.
Would you kill someone
to save your life?
It's not the same thing.
To me it is.
Look, I know you're
just trying to help me.
So here's how you can change my mind.
Tell me what you believe in most,
that thing at your core
that makes you you,
and then betray it.
Rip out who you are,
everything you think is right,
and do it for a medical decision.
Can you do that?
Because if you can, I'll get the chemo.
Tell me there is
a cruise ship heading our way.
The one I found would have ended
a little more like the Titanic.
Well, we knew it was a long shot.
Yeah, but I have a better idea.
Do me a favor. Look out your window.
Right across the street,
you're gonna see
an old warehouse for sale.
Okay, I don't see any for sale sign.
Well, that's because I bought it.
- Max.
- Yeah.
I mean, it's gotta go
through inspections
and everything, but I put the offer in.
Point is, I can make it
an underground clinic.
All right, it'll be safe,
it'll be hidden,
and it'll be run
by medical professionals.
You're asking me
to do something illegal.
Yes, yes, it's the illegal thing,
but it's the moral thing to do, okay?
You'll have our doctors by your side.
I will be by your side.
Just say the word.
I'm not putting other doctors at risk.
Don't ask me to.
All of these can go in those.
Look, I got to go, Max.
We're clearing the place out,
shutting it down.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
What about a whole floor
at New Amsterdam
dedicated to helping your patients?
I don't think that's the option.
I mean, you'd have
to relocate, but we have funds.
We could fly your patients
up from Texas.
Okay, what about new patients?
We'll figure it out.
I'm not leaving my community behind.
I can't. They know me here.
They need me, especially now.
Look, I know you wanted to help.
I wish you could have.
Orthopedics, dial 722, orthopedics 722.
You're serious?
You just sent her home?
You couldn't convince her
to even think about the chemo.
It's not about convincing.
It's about this woman's beliefs.
You mean her politics.
Well, okay, politics, beliefs.
For her, that's the same thing.
And for me, it is too. I'm no different.
She asked me what it is that I
believe in enough to die for.
And this is it, the right to choose.
Because politics do matter.
We're both guilty, or noble, or
honestly, I don't even know anymore.
So that's it?
A fetus is going to grow inside a mother
who won't be there to raise it.
The cancer will kill her,
and there's nothing we can do.
The cancer is not killing her.
Politics are.
I don't have the cure for that.
Does anyone?
You're gonna do great.
So?
Mission accomplished.
It meant a lot to those kids,
hearing what you went through.
I mean, you taught them more
about medicine and caring
than a hundred hospital tours
could have.
And I think I learned
a couple of things myself.
Are we good?
Yeah, yeah, we're good.
Okay.
Well, I got nowhere today.
In the summer of 1968,
I was a junior at Sarah Lawrence.
My best friend, Patty Meehan,
got in trouble.
She was 19, pre-law,
smarter than all of us,
whole world ahead of her.
She wanted many things,
but being a mom at 19
wasn't one of them.
Boy walked away, no surprise.
So we found a place.
It was all illegal then,
back of a salon.
As soon as we walked in,
I grabbed her hand.
I remember the whirring of this machine,
mechanical, deafening.
Something went wrong with the procedure.
There was so much blood, Max.
They tried to remove me,
but Patty wouldn't let them,
wouldn't let go of my hand.
So I held on with everything I had.
We both held on.
After that, I got into the fight.
I went to every march, every protest.
Sneak out of my classes,
grab my homemade signs, and go.
We fought and fought,
and in 1973, we won.
I can't believe we're back here again.
How is this the world
that Luna has to grow up in?
I'm sorry, Max.
I shouldn't have asked you to fix this.
It wasn't fair.
It wasn't realistic.
What can one person do?
Phlebotomist, room 319 for a draw.
Phlebotomy, room 319.
Well, I know the kind of day I had.
So I can only imagine the kind of day
the OB/GYN department had.
I've definitely seen better ones.
I want to train to do a D and C.
Sorry if that was out of left field.
I'm just trying to figure out some
Max, that was the only
good thing to happen all day.
You did the right thing today.
I feel like such a loser.
You are not a loser.
You're a parent in the real world.
Hey, Samira?
Honey?
Hi.
What's happening here?
Why are you not packed for camp?
I'm not gonna go.
It's okay to be nervous, sweetheart.
It's totally normal.
The camp is in South Dakota.
The abortion ban happened there today.
I'm not a little kid anymore.
I know what's happening in the world.
So I'm not going.
You're not?
I know it's small, and
maybe nobody will even notice,
but it's all I could do.
Honey, that is not small.
I see it.
I notice. I'm so proud of you.
Yeah.
Here.
And when they finally reached
the other side of the bridge,
Gus bolted.
He leapt between a giraffe's legs,
over an elephant's trunk,
and galloped out of sight.
Are you so sad?
Yeah, baby.
Sorry, I thought I could do
a better job hiding it.
Why are you sad?
Well, because a sad thing
happened today.
Not just to me, to everybody.
And I guess it made daddy a little sad,
and a little mad,
and a little frustrated.
- Do you know frustrated?
- Monkey bars.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's like when you get frustrated,
and you can't climb the monkey bars.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
I got frustrated today
because I wanted to make
the world a little better for you.
I couldn't do it.
Maybe tomorrow.
Maybe not even tomorrow.
But I'm not gonna stop trying.
No matter what.
Okay.
All right.
Bedtime.
Elephant ride.
Elephant
honey, daddy's a little tired.
I don't know if it's a good
night for an elephant ride
just kidding!
Here, get up here.
Oh, no, I got a monkey on me.
Help! Somebody help!
There's a monkey on me!
Elephant earthquake!
Oh, she got me, oh, no!
Ah!
Get her off me. Get her off me.
Help.
Here, jump on here.