Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams connects the dots between regional children's TV, women's health, and media's invasion of privacy through the story of Miss Sherri Finkbine. Finkbine was the Arizona-based teacher in the regional educational TV oriented to young Baby Boom viewers, Romper Room, and became a pivotal figure in the Thalidomide tragedy.

Cynthia examines how Finkbine's use of Thalidomide for morning sickness triggered a medical and legal crisis that preceded Roe V. Wade. The incident however launched an international discussion on a woman's rights to make decisions about her own body and health care. This major event in Second Wave Feminist history was brought to the small screen in the 1992 made-for-TV movie A Private Matter, starring Sissy Spacek.

This unforgettable story illustrates how early television shaped public awareness around women's healthcare, abortion, and agency.

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PRODUCTION

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Music by Jahzzar - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jahzzar/