James Tomka

Society of Sisters James Tomka

Cal Torncek is the lawyer appointed to represent Victoria Frankel, a young woman accused of using a "lethal cocktail" of birth control pills-a chemical assault-to kill her viable fetus. Torncek has the support of a loving wife and their five children, along with the support of his law partners, Grace Radmond and Mike Baptise. But, due to his fragile health, he needs all the help he can get with the case. If the case is lost, the setback could allow the State to infringe upon women's rights in other ways. It has the possibility to set the ultimate precedent. While fighting for Frankel's rights and her acquittal, Torncek must protect her from an arrogant prosecutor and an obnoxious trial judge. But two questions remain: is Victoria guilty of feticide, or is she well within her rights as a woman?Author James G. Tomka asserts that the Roman Catholic Church is partially responsible for the right-to-privacy decision of Roe v. Wade. But the main case leading up to Roe was Pierce v. Society of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. In the powerful and persuasive Society of Sisters, actual law from this specific case, and others, is applied to the fictional prosecution of a self-induced abortion.