Dogma Page #3

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As the congregation flatly joins in the prayer, we stop on BETHANY - a

beautiful twenty-something woman who struggles to stay awake. She checks

her watch and exhales softly.

OC VOICE:

I don't really want to be here.

ENT PLANNED PARENTHOOD CLINIC - DAY

A small gaggle of signcarrying RIght-to-Lifer's march in front of the

sterile looking building.

OC VOICE:

But then again, I guess nobody ever does... except maybe you.

INT BETHANY'S OFFICE - DAY

The source of the voice - a GIRL - sits beside Bethany's desk, stretching

out her gum. Bethany offers her an understanding smile.

GIRL:

You know, I've done this three times now; and each time the counselor tells

me I should be more careful in the future, I should show' some

responsibility. Gotta tell you, though - this is the first time the

counselor wasn't some ugly as hell old b*tch. It's kind of hard to take

abortion advice from a woman who's too gross to get laid in the first

place.

BETHANY:

I'm not here to lecture you - I'm here to make sure you really want to go

through with this.

GIRL:

I'd rather go back to that night when my idiot bovfriend swore up and down

he was sterile. Short of that, there aren't many choices left, now are

there?

BETHANY:

Ever think about having it?

GIRL:

(beat)

What woman doesn't on some level.

BETHANY:

I never did.

GIRL:

(incredulous)

You had an abortion?

BETHANY:

(lights a smoke)

My first year in college. All through high school, I'd dated the same guy -

Walter Flanagan. We were really in love, right? So much so. that we decided

to go Carnegie Mellon together... that's this college in Pittsburgh. So

there we are -away at school, and there's suddenly no parents to worry

about anymore, so we're screwing like rabbits - just constanly doing it.

And I wound up getting pregnant. So he begs me to have it. He says we

should quit school and get married, and I'm telling him that that'lI screw

up our educations. We fought about it for a week - my arguement being there

was no rush to have kids, you know? We could always have a baby in a couple

of years - after school. So I got the abortion against his wishes... I

mean, what the hell - it was my body, right? After graduation, we got

married and immediately set about trying to have kids. We tried like hell

for the first six months, and... nothing. So I went to a gynocologist to

see if everything was okay on my end.

(beat)

It wasn't.

(takes a drink)

My uteran wall had this fissure. It seems that the doctor who performed the

procedure on me years before had somehow botched it. I'd never be able to

have a child.

The Girl's face says it all. Bethany takes a drag and continues.

BETHANY:

So there I am - devastated. And now I have to go home to break the news to

my husband who years before had begged me to have the baby - his baby. And

after I explain it to him through my tears, he sits on the couch and rubs

his eyes. And in the calmest, most rational voice I've ever heard anybody

use in my life, he asks me for a divorce. And I fought him, you know? I

tried to talk him out of it; told him there were alternatives - like we

could adopt. And all he said was he wanted a wife who could have his

children.

GIRL:

(beat)

What happened?

BETHANY:

He remarried. He had two kids in two years with his new wife. We never

spoke again. And now I do this.

GIRL:

That's like... such a sad story.

BETHANY:

I dated this guy a year or two ago - he was really into comic books. He

told me I had the stock superhero story -I wanted to prevent a wrong that

had happened to me from ever happening to anyone else. Kind of like Batman,

he said. The only difference is I don't put on tights to do it... unless

all my other clothes are in the wash.

(smiles and puts out her smoke)

So... let's go over your paperwork.

EXT CLINIC - DAY

A well-dressed LIZ maneuvers through the small thrall of Right-to-lifer's.

They shake their placards at her accusingly.

PROTESTOR 1

You should be ashamed of yourself!

PROTESTOR 2

Child killer!

LIZ:

(looking over their shoulders)

HOLY SH*T!! IT'S THE POPE!!

As the thrall turns excitedly in an effort try to spy the imaginary

pontiff, Liz ducks inside the clinic.

INT CLINIC COFFEE ROOM - DAY

A NEWSPAPER HEADLINE fills the frame - "CHURCH SAYS NO TO DEATH OF JOHN

DOE". It's lowered to reveal Bethany, reading. Liz enters and hangs up her

coat.

LIZ:

Jesus! You're a Catholic, aren't you? Can't you talk

to them or something?

BETHANY:

They hate me more than you, no doubt. At least you have an excuse - you're

]ewish,

you don't know any better.

LIZ:

I don't think they'd accept that one - we already used it as our excuse for

killing Christ. So where were you yesterday morning - a bunch of us went

out for brunch?

BETHANY:

I went to church.

LIZ:

That kills me. You and church. We work in a field that specializes in

pissing off the cloth and you add insult to injury by breaking bread with

them every week.

BETHANY:

I sit there every Sunday and I feel nothing. I can remember sitting in

church when I was a kid and being moved - like everything meant something,

like I was important. And the stories of all these holy people were so

inspiring. Now I sit there and think about my checking, and what I'm going

to wear to work the next day.

LIZ:

So then why do you still go?

BETHANY:

(beat)

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

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