A number of reviews have stated that a major hole in the movie's plot is "Why did the dying girl implicate an innocent doctor in performing a botched abortion on her?" The answer is - she didn't. The police stated they had a witness who testified the girl implicated the aforementioned doctor. That witness, they state, is the girl's mother. The mother, in her conversation with Dr. Carey, when asked how she knew it was the accused doctor who performed the botched abortion, replied "Because Karen had his card in her purse and had written him a check for $300". I agree with the other reviewers that it is totally implausible that the girl would implicate the doctor. What is more plausible is that the mother wanted the person who did this to pay and ASSUMED it was the doctor who's card was in Karen's purse. It was an established fact she was unconscious when arriving at the emergency room, and she had passed out as she drove up to her house in the car. The mother's statement that Karen was conscious in the ambulance and told her it was the doctor in question was a lie to make her accusation carry more weight with the police. And in regards to the $300 check, it was already well established that the doctor would only charge $25 for an illegal abortion to cover the lab fees. The $300 check was either a bogus fabrication by the mother or a legitimate check made out to cash for the person who was really responsible for the abortion. (Identity withheld for spoilers sake.) In which case, the mother made another incorrect assumption and linked the two (the doctor's card and the check) together.
Now for the movie itself. It is more significant from an historical perspective than from the standpoint of great cinema. Remember, this movie came out in 1972, one year before the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision, which paved the way for legal abortions here in America. From that perspective, it is an interesting time capsule of the two opposing viewpoints of this issue, at a time when legalized abortion was about to come to its defining moment in American history. All of it wrapped up in a decent little suspense movie. Worth a look.
Now for the movie itself. It is more significant from an historical perspective than from the standpoint of great cinema. Remember, this movie came out in 1972, one year before the Roe vs Wade Supreme Court decision, which paved the way for legal abortions here in America. From that perspective, it is an interesting time capsule of the two opposing viewpoints of this issue, at a time when legalized abortion was about to come to its defining moment in American history. All of it wrapped up in a decent little suspense movie. Worth a look.