SINAS Film Screening: "Mother v. Maricopa County"

In 1962, Sherri Chessen was a local celebrity in Phoenix, Arizona, as the host of children’s television show Romper Room. Pregnant with her fifth child, Chessen discovers that she has taken thalidomide, a drug that causes severe fetal anomalies. She makes the difficult decision to end her pregnancy. Her doctor and hospital approve the therapeutic abortion, but news of the operation is leaked to the press. The hospital backs out, and Chessen sues the state—a case seemingly doomed from the start. With no other option in the United States, Chessen travels to Stockholm for her abortion.

Mother v. Maricopa County explores the legal battle Chessen endured in her fight for medical care. This short film won two Emmy Awards at the Rocky Mountain Southwest Emmy Awards, including one for Best Historical Short.

Welcome to a screening and Q&A with the film’s producer, SINAS affiliate researcher Saniya Lee Ghanoui (assistant professor of history, University of Texas at El Paso).