Season 7: The Abortion Wars
In Season 7 of Someone Knows Something: The Abortion Wars, host David Ridgen and investigative journalist Amanda Robb dig into the 1998 murder of her uncle, a New York doctor killed for performing abortions. They uncover a network of anti-abortion movements linked to violence in North America and Europe. Twenty years later, with debates about reproductive rights still raging in the U.S., could more violence be on the horizon?
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Season 7: Trailer
Host David Ridgen and American journalist Amanda Robb investigate the 1998 murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian — Robb's uncle — who was shot in an act of anti-abortion violence. The series explores the anti-abortion radical who was responsible for the murder and the possible links to similar attacks on Canadian doctors. With protests on the rise and debates about reproductive rights heating up in the U.S., could more violence be on the horizon?
Episode 1: Aiding, Abetting, Abortion
Access to abortion has taken on urgency as the laws protecting it come under attack in the U.S. Working with family member Amanda Robb, David examines the murder of her uncle, an abortion provider in the U.S. and the resulting conviction of a fanatical sniper. Both discover that this murder may be the endgame of a series of doctor shootings that actually began in Canada.
Episode 2: Remembrance
In the 1990s, three Canadian abortion providers are shot and gravely injured — all about a year apart, all around Remembrance Day. David begins his examination of these attacks by speaking to Canadian family members. In so doing, David discovers connections between the Canadian shootings and the murder of Amanda Robb's uncle, Dr. Barnett Slepian. An eyewitness account reveals new information publicly for the first time.
Episode 3: The Informant
David interviews key members of the Canadian/U.S. police task force formed to find the person who shot Canadian abortion providers and killed Dr. Barnett Slepian. Do they think the shooter acted alone? What will the man behind the FBI code name Jack Steele, a key confidential informant, reveal?
Episode 4: What's Left Behind
Canadian detectives investigating the 1995 shooting of Dr. Hugh Short in Ontario reveal evidence that places an anti-abortion fanatic at the scene of the crime. David speaks to Buffalo News reporters who investigated the U.S. and Canadian shootings and feel there is much more to the story.
Episode 5: Nemesis
David and Amanda examine the relationship between religious beliefs and justification for violence. The investigation takes them to Washington, D.C., where they meet with an American evangelical minister who was involved in the anti-abortion movement — leading protests against Dr. Barnett Slepian and blockading the clinic where he worked. Has the minister's position changed?
Episode 6: Mississippi
David heads to Mississippi, a key state that is currently attempting to restrict access to abortion through legislation. David visits the only abortion clinic in the state, known as "Pink House," and speaks to the workers and activists on the frontlines of the fight to protect reproductive rights.
Episode 7: Darkworld
An email arrives from a California prison: "Talk to you very soon." In the season finale, David speaks to James Kopp, the man who shot and killed Dr. Barnett Slepian. What does the violence of the past mean for the future?
