Dangerous Remedy is a historical drama which premiered on Australian television (ABC) in 2012.
This drama, which is based on a true story, takes place in Melbourne in the state of Victoria. The time frame seems to be 1969-1972.
The main character is the Scottish-born doctor Bertram Wainer who is the front man of a campaign for reform of the abortion law in the state of Victoria.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Producer: Ned Lander
** Director: Ken Cameron
** Writer: Kris Wyld
** Inspired by the book It isn’t nice by Bertram Wainer (published in 1972)
** Language: English
** Subtitles: English
** Run time: 105 minutes
The cast includes the following:
** Jeremy Sims as Bertram Wainer (1928-1987) – a medical doctor who campaigns for reform of the abortion law in the state of Victoria
** Susie Porter as Margaret (Peggy) Berman (1923-2002) – a receptionist in a medical clinic – for a while she is the mistress of Jack Ralph Ford – later she becomes an activist for women’s rights
** William McInnes as Jack Ralph Ford – a police inspector – later he becomes head of the homicide department
** Maeve Dermody as Joanne (Jo) Richardson – an activist for women’s rights – in 1972 she becomes the second wife of Bertram Wainer
** Mark Leonard Winter as Lionel Pugh – an investigative reporter
** Gary Sweet as John Edward Matthews – police detective superintendent – he is Ford’s boss
** Caroline Craig as Barbara Joyce Wainer (1933-2011) – Bertram’s first
wife – they are married in 1954 – they separate in 1962 – they divorce in 1972
** Peter O’Brian as Barry Smith – he runs an illegal abortion clinic
Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. This is why I feel free to mention some of them here.
While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here.
Some details may have been added, altered or excluded for dramatic reasons or for practical purposes. But the basic story is true.
Bertram Wainer was born in Edinburgh (Scotland) in
1928. In 1949, he immigrated to Australia with his family. In 1954, he married
Barbara. The couple had four children: Dirk, Rory, Felice, and Sean.
In 1958, he completed his education as a medical doctor. From 1960 to 1966, he worked as an army doctor, but in 1966, he decided to leave the military and become a civilian.
He established a general practice in Melbourne in the state of Victoria.
One day, a young woman came to his clinic. She had been pregnant, but she did not want the child. At that time, abortion was illegal in the state of Victoria. This is why she went to an illegal clinic in a backyard.
An abortion was performed, but something went wrong and she started bleeding. She was afraid. She came to Dr Wainer, hoping that he could help her. He did his best, but the damage was too severe. He could not save her. She died in his clinic.
This tragic episode made a big impression on Wainer. A young woman had lost her life, because she felt she had to use an illegal abortion clinic which was not safe.
Wainer believed that abortion should be a matter between the pregnant woman and her physician. It should not be a matter for politicians and police officers.
Inspired by this tragic episode, he began a campaign for reform of the abortion law in the state of Victoria. It was almost a one-man crusade.
When he began his campaign, he found a few allies who agreed with him.
At the same time, he made many enemies, who believed abortion was a sin which should be illegal. They declared that any doctor who performed an abortion should be struck off and lose his license to practice medicine.
While he was investigating this topic and the legal ramifications, he accidentally stumbled on something which was unexpected: he found evidence of police corruption related to abortion.
Apparently, a small group of police officers in Melbourne had created a secret network which included several doctors who were allowed to perform abortions.
The police officers made sure the doctors in this network were not investigated. Their clinics were not raided by the police.
In return, the doctors paid large sums of money to the police officers who protected them.
Police officers are supposed to enforce and uphold the law, but these officers were breaking the law, and they were making money while they were doing this.
They were, in effect, running an illegal and secret protection racket and they were making huge profits while they were doing this.
Wainer was outraged when he found evidence of this protection racket. While he believed women should have access to abortion, he was shocked to discover that police officers had turned abortion into a profitable business.
His friends tried to warn him.
They said:
If you go any further with this, you will be in trouble!
If you try to collect evidence of police corruption, you are placing yourself and the people close to you in great danger!
He said he understood, adding that he had to do it. He could not let it go. Over the following months, he and his allies tried to collect solid evidence of the protection racket.
The police officers who were involved quickly realised what was going on. They were not happy to see that somebody was trying to expose their secret business operations.
At first, they tried to scare him off. When this did not work, they decided to use tougher methods.
They tried to kill him in several ways. (1) They tampered with the brakes on his car. (2) Shots were fired at him. (3) He was stabbed with a knife and left for dead, but he was found and rescued.
His family was also targeted. He had separated from his wife before the campaign began. But the house where his wife lived with their children was set on fire. Miraculously, they all survived.
Wainer did not scare easily. The harsh attacks on him and the people close to him only convinced him that he was on the right track.
He was more determined than ever to expose the secret protection racket and he continued his campaign to reform the abortion law in the state of Victoria.
Once he had collected solid evidence to prove his case, he faced a new problem. Where was he going to take this evidence? To who could he give it?
Even the top brass of the Melbourne police force was opposed to his project. Perhaps they were not involved in any dirty business, but they had on many occasions insisted that the police force was clean.
If Wainer had solid evidence which proved that the force was corrupt, this would reflect badly on them.
They should have been the first ones to discover any element of corruption and get rid of it. But they had not done this.
The police force was corrupt, but they had not done anything about it. Perhaps they did not know? Perhaps they did not care?
After searching for a while, Wainer found the proper person to receive his evidence. In addition, he handed copies of his evidence to several media outlets.
He assumed that when politicians and media had the relevant information, it would be hard for the police force to deny any wrongdoing.
A public inquiry was held under the chairmanship of a barrister, William Kaye.
The inquiry confirmed the existence of an illegal and secret protection racket.
According to the inquiry, this protection racket had operated for 17 years!
Following the inquiry, four police officers were charged. Three of them were found guilty and sent to jail.
Three convictions
** John Edward Matthews = five years
** Jack Ralph Ford = five years
** Martin Robert Jacobson = three years
One acquittal
** Frederick John Adam
This film covers Bertram Wainer’s life and the consequences of his campaign to reform the law of abortion in the state of Victoria (1969-1972).
His efforts had a significant impact on the law of abortion as well as the interpretation of the law.
Following his campaign, women had better and easier access to abortion. In 2008, abortion on demand was legalized in the state of Victoria.
What do reviewers say about this drama?
On IMDb it has a rating of 66 percent. There are four user reviews. Here are the headlines and the ratings offered:
30 percent
Disappointing
60 percent
Hard viewing
70 percent
Gripping story let down by a clunky script
90 percent
Gripping and inspirational
The average rating of these four reviews is 63 percent, which is slightly below the rating on the website.
On Amazon there are at the moment 12 ratings, 11 with reviews.
The average rating is 2.7 stars, which corresponds to a rating of 54 percent. Here are the details:
5 stars = 19 percent
4 stars = 23 percent
3 stars = no rating
2 stars = 27 percent
1 star = 32 percent
As you can see, the ratings are mixed in both cases. Some reviews are positive. They offer good a good rating. But other reviews are negative. They offer a low rating.
I understand the positive reviews and I agree with them. I cannot agree with the negative reviews.
The story of Bertram Wainer and his campaign for reform of the abortion law is important and deserves to be told. In this drama, it is done very well.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
REFERENCES
# 1. Items available online
“The myth of a clean police force.”
The Age, 12 June 2004
Neil McMahon,
“Voyage around my father,”
The Age, 4 November 2012
[This article is a long interview with Felice Wainer, daughter of Bertram Wainer]
“Bertram Barney Wainer (1928-1987)”
By Richard Evans
Australian Dictionary of Biography
2012
# 2. Books
It isn’t nice
By Bertram Wainer
1972
Why isn’t she dead?
By Peggy Berman
With Kevin Childs
1972
Lost: illegal abortion stories
By Joanne Wainer
2006
# 3. Film and video
Abortion, Corruption and Cops –
The Bertram Wainer Story
** Writer and director = John Moore
** Narrator = Angie Milliken
** Run time = 52 minutes
2005
How abortion was decriminalized in Australia
The Context – ABC News (4 minutes)
Available on YouTube
Could abortion be made illegal in Australia?
The Context – ABC News (29 minutes)
Available on YouTube
*****
Abortion, Corruption & Cops:
The Bertram Weiner Story
(2005)
*****
The Scottish-born doctor
Bertram Wainer
(1928-1987)
*****
