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Aug 18, 2022

Mrs. Finkbine’s Baby Aborted in Sweden

Aug. 18, 1962 - Mrs. Sherri Finkbine of Phoenix, Ariz., who received permission in Sweden yesterday for a legal abortion, was operated upon successfully this morning. The 30-year-old mother of four healthy children was informed after the operation that the fetus was deformed, as she had feared. Her fears arose four weeks ago when she learned that she had inadvertently taken the drug Thalidomide, which is blamed for the birth of thousands of deformed infants in Europe. “Now we

Aug 17, 2022

Mrs. Finkbine Is Permitted an Abortion in Sweden

Aug. 17, 1962 - Mrs. Sherri Finkbine of Phoenix, Ariz., won permission today in Stockholm, Sweden, for a legal abortion. The three-member Committee on Abortions of the Royal Swedish Medical Board approved her application so as to safeguard her “mental health.” This decision ended a quest that began four weeks ago when Mrs. Finkbine learned that the tranquilizers she had taken in the early stages of her pregnancy contained Thalidomide. Mrs. Finkbine, a 30-year-old mother of fo

Aug 7, 2022

Mrs. Finkbine Visits Swedish Doctor, Will Apply for Abortion

Aug. 7, 1962 - Mrs. Sherri Finkbine (pictured arriving in Sweden with her husband Robert on Sunday) made her first visit to a Swedish physician today, and her husband said the couple probably would apply early next week for an abortion. The operation to prevent birth of the baby she fears is deformed could not be done for several more days, owing to the measured pace of processing abortion applications in Sweden. In the early stages of Mrs. Finkbine’s pregnancy, the televisio

Aug 4, 2022

Sherri Chessen News Conference at L.A. International Airport

Aug. 4, 1962 - Mrs. Sherri Chessen and her husband Bob gave a news conference today at L.A. International Airport. Mrs. Chessen, who took Thalidomide early in her pregnancy and now fears her baby will be deformed, hopes to have an abortion approved in Sweden. Her request for an abortion in Arizona, where the law permits an abortion only if the mother's life is in danger, was denied July 30. #abortion

Aug 4, 2022

Mrs. Finkbine Seeks Abortion in Sweden

Aug. 4, 1962 - Mrs. Sherri Finkbine took off today for Sweden from Los Angeles. There, she hopes, physicians will end the pregnancy she fears could end in the birth of a deformed baby. Mrs. Finkbine, 30 years old, is 3 months pregnant with a child she believes may have been affected by the tranquilizer drug Thalidomide, which has been blamed for births of many malformed children in Europe. She took the drug early in her pregnancy. Before boarding the plane, Mrs. Finkbine, mot

Jul 31, 2022

Arizona Television Host Who Took Thalidomide Seeks Abortion

July 31, 1962 - Mrs. Sherri Finkbine (pictured), host of the Arizona edition of the nationally syndicated television show “Romper Room,” is planning to leave Arizona for an abortion, but when and where she will go for the operation are being kept secret. Her husband, a teacher, said today, “We have decided to seek help in a more favorable legal climate.” The 30-year-old Mrs. Finkbine, the star of a children’s television program in Arizona called “Romper Room,” fears the birth

Jul 24, 2022

Thalidomide Controversy in Phoenix

July 24, 1962 - Controversy raged in Phoenix today over a proposed abortion for Sherri Finkbine (pictured), a young Phoenix mother and host of the Arizona edition of the syndicated television program “Romper Room,” who fears her baby may be deformed because she has taken the European-made tranquilizer Thalidomide. Mrs. Finkbine, three months pregnant, says she wants the operation and plans to enter a hospital tomorrow. “My husband and I both want the operation performed,” sh

Apr 26, 2022

Ten CBS Affiliates Refuse to Carry Abortion-Themed Episode of "The Defenders"

Apr. 26, 1962 - CBS, which will televise a drama about abortion tomorrow night, announced today that 10 of its affiliated stations had refused to carry the program. The list includes stations in Boston, Providence, Buffalo, Rochester, New Orleans, and Milwaukee. The episode, called “The Benefactor,” is part of the CBS weekly series, “The Defenders,” starring E.G. Marshall (pictured). The episode depicts a physician who is on trial for having performed illegal abortions. Durin

Apr 19, 2022

CBS Obtains Sponsorship for "Defenders" Episode about Abortion

Apr. 19, 1962 - CBS, which lost three sponsors because of a scheduled television drama about an abortionist (Robert F. Simon, pictured), has obtained sponsorship for the program from another advertiser. “The Benefactor,” an episode of the weekly legal drama series called “The Defenders,” will be presented on April 28 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. under the sponsorship of the Speidel Corporation, manufacturer of watch bands. The advertisers who usually sponsor “The Defenders” — Lever

Apr 8, 2022

Three Sponsors of "The Defenders" Withdraw Sponsorship of Abortion Episode

Apr. 8, 1962 - All three advertisers who regularly sponsor the CBS-TV legal drama “The Defenders” have withdrawn sponsorship of an episode that deals with abortion. Despite this, CBS will televise the episode on April 28. The advertisers — Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Lever Brothers Company, and the Kimberly-Clark Corporation — told CBS their sponsorship of such a program would be in conflict with corporate policy. The episode is called “The Benefactor.” In it, a d