Life Choice
Encyclopedia
"Life Choice" is the twelfth episode of NBC
's legal drama
Law & Order
. It originally aired on January 8, 1991.
clinic. Greevey and Logan
find themselves disagreeing over the issue of abortion. Schiff
questions whether Stone
's pro-life
stance will interfere with his work.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. It originally aired on January 8, 1991.
Plot
A young woman dies in a bombing at an abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
clinic. Greevey and Logan
Mike Logan (Law & Order)
Michael "Mike" Logan is a fictional character in the police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order franchise, played by Chris Noth.-History in the franchise:...
find themselves disagreeing over the issue of abortion. Schiff
Adam Schiff (Law & Order)
Adam Schiff is a fictional character on the TV drama series Law & Order. He was played by Steven Hill from 1990 to 2000. Schiff was one of the main characters of the series and appeared in every episode of the first ten seasons except for Everybody's Favorite Bagman, which was produced before Hill...
questions whether Stone
Benjamin Stone
Benjamin "Ben" Stone is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Moriarty in the TV drama Law & Order.-Character overview:Stone works in the Manhattan District Attorney's office under Alfred Wentworth and Adam Schiff. It was Schiff with whom he is closest, treating him as a kind of surrogate...
's pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
stance will interfere with his work.
Law
- George DzundzaGeorge DzundzaGeorge Dzundza is an American television and film actor.-Personal life:Dzundza was born in Rosenheim, Germany, to a Ukrainian father and Polish mother who were forced into factory labour by the Nazis. He spent the first few years of his life in displaced persons camps with his parents and one...
– Sgt. Max Greevey - Chris NothChris NothChristopher David "Chris" Noth is an American actor. He is known for long-running television roles as Det. Mike Logan on the police procedural and legal drama television series, Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and as Big on Sex and the City. For the latter role, he has been...
– Det. Mike LoganMike Logan (Law & Order)Michael "Mike" Logan is a fictional character in the police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order franchise, played by Chris Noth.-History in the franchise:... - Dann FlorekDann FlorekEzekial Dann Florek , professional name Dann Florek, is an American actor and director.-Early life:Florek was born in Flat Rock, Michigan. He attended Eastern Michigan University, but never graduated...
– Capt. Don Cragen
Order
- Michael MoriartyMichael MoriartyMichael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
– Exec. A.D.A. Ben StoneBenjamin StoneBenjamin "Ben" Stone is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Moriarty in the TV drama Law & Order.-Character overview:Stone works in the Manhattan District Attorney's office under Alfred Wentworth and Adam Schiff. It was Schiff with whom he is closest, treating him as a kind of surrogate... - Richard BrooksRichard Brooks (actor)Richard L. Brooks is an African-American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette during the first three seasons of the NBC TV drama Law & Order .Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Brooks studied acting, dance, and voice work at...
– A.D.A. Paul RobinettePaul RobinettePaul Robinette, played by Richard Brooks, is a fictional character who appeared in the TV drama series Law & Order from the pilot episode in 1990 until the final episode of the third season, "Benevolence," in 1993... - Steven HillSteven HillSteven Hill is an American film and television actor. His two better-known roles are District Attorney Adam Schiff on the NBC TV drama series Law & Order, whom he portrayed for ten seasons , and Dan Briggs, the original team leader of the Impossible Missions Force on CBS's television series...
– D.A. Adam SchiffAdam Schiff (Law & Order)Adam Schiff is a fictional character on the TV drama series Law & Order. He was played by Steven Hill from 1990 to 2000. Schiff was one of the main characters of the series and appeared in every episode of the first ten seasons except for Everybody's Favorite Bagman, which was produced before Hill...
Guest stars
- Caroline Kava – Rose Schwimmer
- Paul HechtPaul HechtPaul Hecht is an English-born Canadian stage, film, and television actor best known for playing radio newsman Ross Buckingham in Howard Stern's Private Parts....
– Ballard - Pat McNamara – Molloy
- Clark GreggClark GreggRobert Clark Gregg is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He co-starred as Christine Campbell's ex-husband Richard in the CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which debuted in March 2006 and concluded in May 2010...
– Patrick Dunne - Jaime Tirelli – CSU Rivera
- Bridgit Ryan – Celeste McClure
- Paul Butler – Judge Tyler B. Ashford
- Kevin CooneyKevin CooneyKevin Cooney is an American film and television actor. He has appeared in the films Legally Blonde, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Con Air and many others, and the television series Dharma & Greg, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and others.-External links:...
– Geoffrey Donovan - Laurie Kennedy – Barbara Donovan
- Kevin O'Rourke – Kevin Donovan
- Johann CarloJohann Carlo-Life and career:Carlo was born in Buffalo, New York. She made her Broadway debut in 1983, appearing alongside Kate Nelligan as Louise in David Hare's Plenty. In 1991, she returned to Broadway for Richard Jones' La Bête. She was commissioned by the Whitney Museum to write, direct and perform in the...
– Colman - Jonathan HoganJonathan HoganJonathan Hogan is an American actor.Born in Chicago, Illinois, Hogan made his New York City stage debut in the off-Broadway Circle Repertory Company's highly successful production of Hot L Baltimore...
– Corcoran - LaTanya RichardsonLatanya RichardsonLaTanya Estelle Richardson is an American actress and television producer. She graduated from Spelman College in 1974. While at Spelman, she met actor Samuel L. Jackson who would later become her husband. She and Jackson married in 1980 and have one daughter, named Zoe...
– Lorraine - Sully BoyarSully BoyarIrving "Sully" Boyar was an American actor of Russian descent.Boyar was one of seven children, some of whom grew up to become lawyers and businessmen. He also worked as a lawyer before turning to acting...
– Judge Harvey Sirkin - Jim FyfeJim Fyfe-Filmography:Movies-Note:...
– Cleary - Julie HalstonJulie HalstonJulie Halston is an American actress and comedian.-Life and career:Halston was born Julie Abatelli in Suffolk County, New York, and raised in Commack, Long Island. She is the daughter of Julia Madeline "Dolly" , a teacher's assistant, and Rudolph "Rudy" Abatelli, who worked in tobacco sales...
– Jane - Isa Thomas – Gwen Matson
- Rafael FerrerRafael FerrerRafael Ferrer is an American actor.Ferrer is the son of José Ferrer and Rosemary Clooney, and the brother of Miguel and Gabriel. He is a cousin of George Clooney. Ferrer is best known for his voiceover work in commercials, trailers and on-air promotions...
– Clerk - Steve Itkin – O'Hare
- Howard Spiegel – Bernstein
- Timothy Britten-Parker – Cioran
- Larry Attile – Foreman
- Richard M. DavidsonRichard M. DavidsonRichard M. Davidson is an Old Testament scholar and Seventh-day Adventist. He has authored dozens of articles for theological journals. As of 2009, he is the chair of the Old Testament department at Andrews University, and the J. N...
– Court Clerk - Camryn ManheimCamryn ManheimCamryn Manheim is an American actress known primarily for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's The Practice and Delia Banks on CBS's Ghost Whisperer and as Elvis's mother, Gladys Presley in the 2005 mini-series Elvis....
– Leila - Lynn AndersonLynn AndersonLynn Rene Anderson is an American country music singer and equestrian known for a string of hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, most notably her Grammy Award-winning, worldwide mega-hit, " Rose Garden." Helped by her regular exposure on national television, Anderson was one of the most...
– Woman #1 - Jane Sanders – Woman #2
- Lennie Loftin – Fogarty
- Frank Anderson – Man #1
Trivia
- Camryn ManheimCamryn ManheimCamryn Manheim is an American actress known primarily for her roles as attorney Ellenor Frutt on ABC's The Practice and Delia Banks on CBS's Ghost Whisperer and as Elvis's mother, Gladys Presley in the 2005 mini-series Elvis....
briefly appears in this episode. She is seen with her back turned to the camera standing behind an ambulance towards the beginning of the episode. This is one of her first acting jobs. - When originally aired on NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, $900,000 worth of advertising was pulled due to the controversial topic of the episode, leaving it with no paid advertisers, leaving the network to fill the time with promos and public service announcements. It never aired again on NBC, but has been rerun on TNTTurner Network TelevisionTurner Network Television is an American cable television channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner...
.