Race, Religion, Reproductive Choice, and Politics in Medicine

In 1974, one year after Roe v Wade, Dr. Kenneth C. Edelin, a young black doctor, was the chief resident in obstetrics at Boston City Hospital. Three months before completing his residency, Dr. Edelin was indicted for manslaughter after he surgically terminated a pregnancy. Convicted and sentenced to a one-year probation by a secret grand jury, before the decision was overturned by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts a year later, Dr. Edelin's case drew national attention. Dr. Edelin is emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Boston University School of Medicine and author of the book, Broken Justice: A True Story of Race, Sex and Revenge in a Boston Courtroom. He joins host Dr. Martin Samuels to discuss his personal involvement in this landmark legal case and the issues it raised, which remain points of discussion in American society today.