Most of the women lining the hallway as Abby is taken to surgery are played by a mix of the show's writing staff and crew, as well as ABC staff members, many of whom requested to appear in the scene after reading the script.
As of March 2019 this is the highest rated episode of the series
A study examining the episode and it's closing PSA showed a massive increase in interactions with sexual assault survivor resources (from two weeks prior to the episode to the week following it). Findings included a 43% increase in calls to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) as well as a 1,097% increase in engagement with the RAINN Twitter account and tweets mentioning the phrase "sexual assault hotline."
This episode's title, Silent All These Years, is a song by Tori Amos released originally in November 1991 in the UK and in April 1992 in the US.