Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series)

The Burden of Our Choices (2019)

Peter Scanavino: ADA Dominick 'Sonny' Carisi, Jr.

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Quotes 

• Dominick Carisi Jr. : [to Olivia]  I was talking to my mom when these states passed the fetal heartbeat laws. She got a second sight for this kind of thing. She asked me, "What is gonna happen when some kid gets pregnant and comes to New York for an abortion?"

  Olivia Benson : And what did you say?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : We're in uncharted waters.

• Dominick Carisi Jr. : [to Olivia]  That was Ms. Hadid. The Mercer County DA has promised to open up an investigation, but only after Evangeline goes back to Ohio for questioning.

  Olivia Benson : So they're more worried about stopping the abortion then they are about stopping the abuse.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : I have to ask. You're sure it's him?

  Olivia Benson : Carisi, if she wanted to blame the stepfather, she would've done that in the first place. This was the last thing that she wanted to reveal.

• Dominick Carisi Jr. : Fundamentalists, Catholics, they see abortion as deaths.

  Katriona Tamin : You're Catholic, right? Is that what you think?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : What I think is what I think, but if a woman is the victim of rape or incest...

  Katriona Tamin : I hear that. And it sounds like you're saying that a woman has to be a victim in order to have control over her own body.

  Olivia Benson : That's not what he's saying.

  Katriona Tamin : Good, because it's not a decision that should ever be made by a group of men or a prosecutor who's never had to make that choice.

• Corp. Counsel Hayley Brogan : The State requests remand to ACS for two weeks to ensure Evangeline has access to the medical care she needs.

  Judge Martinez : So ordered. After clearance from her doctors, Evangeline will be returned to the custody of her mother on the condition she receive ongoing counseling, and that James Miller has been permanently removed from the home.

  Trevor Langan : Your Honor, I'm in contact with Child Services in Ohio. If they find out that Tammy Miller has allowed any contact by James Miller with his stepdaughter, Evangeline will be removed from her mother's custody.

  Judge Martinez : Is the Ohio D.A. going to prosecute Mr. Miller?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : That's unclear at this point, Your Honor.

  Judge Martinez : I see. Good luck to you, Evangeline. I sincerely wish you all the best.

• Tammy Miller : An ongoing physical relationship? My little girl? No. It... it's not possible.

  Olivia Benson : Actually, it is possible.

  James Miller : Okay, well, did she say who it was?

  Tammy Miller : It has to be Isaac. That's why she came here.

  James Miller : Have you arrested him?

  Tammy Miller : James, we have to talk to him. He's the father. He has to marry her.

  James Miller : Right.

  Olivia Benson : Mrs. Miller, your daughter didn't come here to be with Isaac.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : She came to New York because she doesn't want this pregnancy.

  James Miller : What?

  Tammy Miller : No! No, whatever happened, this baby is a gift from God.

  James Miller : Wait, are you saying that she wants an abortion?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Yes and in New York State, that is her right.

• Olivia Benson : Evangeline is here now, and New York has full reproductive rights for girls of any age.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : That is right. It's the girl's decision.

  Amanda Rollins : Well, she's upset, but she definitely wants the abortion.

  Odafin Tutuola : The parents are fundamentalists. Once they get here, they're gonna throw her in the car and take her home.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : She's 13?

  Olivia Benson : She is.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : It's gonna be hard for a judge to deny parental custody.

  Amanda Rollins : Even with evidence of sexual abuse? I mean, going back years.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : That's a different story. A family court prosecutor could argue that the parents knew or should've known about the abuse. That gets you neglect.

  Odafin Tutuola : There may not be time for that. The Millers are on their way here now.

  Olivia Benson : We're talking about a pregnant 13-year-old runaway. Carisi, can't we take emergency custody? I'm going to call ACS.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : She's also gonna need her own lawyer. I'll call Legal Aid.

  Olivia Benson : And they're gonna just send someone who's handling 75 other cases. Look, I... I know someone who's very good with custody issues. So, Fin, in the meantime, find out from Isaac exactly what their relationship was and how much the parents knew.

• Forreston Graham : Well, Counselor, you destroyed a family, and helped ensure the murder of another innocent child.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : I believe in God, Mr. Graham. And I understand abortion causes a death.

  Forreston Graham : Do you?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : My mother got pregnant when she was 45. This is after having four kids. An ultrasound showed that the the baby had a fetal heart defect. Even if she was able to carry to term, the doctor said the baby wasn't gonna live for more than a few days. My mother decided to terminate. She never told my father, he she told me. She said how much she loved that baby, but she didn't think it was fair. It wasn't fair to her other children, it wasn't fair to that kid. It was only gonna know pain. And then she cried for a week. I didn't know I didn't know what to say to her, but I do know that we both grieved.

  Forreston Graham : Why are you telling me this, Counselor?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Because we're not so different, you and me. And I can't imagine that you think it's right that a man who has so lost his way, has so abandoned God, that he would rape his own stepdaughter, should get away with that.

• Dominick Carisi Jr. : Appeals court just refused to hear Ohio's case. Even some pro-life groups thought the charges were ridiculous.

  Olivia Benson : Well, they are.

  Katriona Tamin : So you guys aren't under arrest? What about the stay on the abortion?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Family court didn't want to make a ruling until Ohio's arrest warrants have been dismissed. They're still deliberating.

  Katriona Tamin : For how long? She's twelve weeks pregnant. Any day after the first trimester, it gets more complicated.

  Olivia Benson : And that's part of Ohio's plan, is to run out the clock.

• Judge Karyn Blake : Let me get this straight, Mr. Graham: the State of Ohio has issued arrest warrants for New York City detectives, and you're asking this court to detain these detectives for transfer?

  Forreston Graham : Yes. We ask that the officers immediately turn themselves in to the Mercer County D.A.'s office.

  Vanessa Hadid : This is unprecedented. Your Honor, Ohio has no standing in this matter. It's a family court proceeding.

  Forreston Graham : We see this as a criminal case. The girl made a premeditated decision. We have her computer searches for abortion providers in New York. The detectives, in willful disregard for the Ohio laws, are attempting to facilitate her access to abortion. According to the Ohio statute, they're accessories to murder.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : First of all, Your Honor, that law has not yet taken effect.

  Forreston Graham : There's also the issue of fetal harm.

  Vanessa Hadid : And we'd also argue the detectives are mandated to enforce New York law, which requires them to protect the lawful reproductive rights of a minor.

  Forreston Graham : There's precedent for comity, respect for the laws of another state. We ask that New York give Ohio law the full faith and credit..

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : And we'd argue that the D.A. from Mercer County's got it backwards. Ohio should give New York full faith and comity by respecting our choice to protect the rights of young women.

  Vanessa Hadid : Simply put, Your Honor, you cannot expect a New York State court to hand over its New York City police officers for doing their jobs.

  Forreston Graham : Yes, our motion is extreme. But what is happening here is pure evil. A modern-day genocide. When future generations look back on this, they will weep. There will be blood on all of your hands.

• James Miller : We're taking Evangeline home right now.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Listen, Mr. Miller, I'm sorry, but that's... that's not happening.

  James Miller : Excuse me?

  Tammy Miller : I don't understand.

  Olivia Benson : I know that this is very difficult to hear, but as of now, Evangeline is in the custody of Child Protective Services.

  Tammy Miller : What?

  James Miller : You can't just take our daughter away from us. What about our rights?

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : You'll appear before a family court judge. I can help you get a lawyer.

  James Miller : Uh, our pastor was a lawyer before he was called by God. I know things are different here in New York, but our daughter is not killing her baby.

• Dominick Carisi Jr. : My job is to uphold that girl's rights, and that's what I'm doing. But I'm sorry, I don't see this as black and white. In my experience, no woman wants to have an abortion.

  Olivia Benson : Okay.

  Katriona Tamin : Fair enough. But these laws that are getting passed, they are not the answer.

  Olivia Benson : No, they're not.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : [Benson's phone chimes]  What?

  Olivia Benson : Text from Rollins. Evangeline just threw herself down a flight of stairs.

• Judge Martinez : I'm satisfied Evangeline understands the ramifications of her decision, and that this decision is hers alone.

  Tammy Miller : She can't kill our grandbaby.

  Judge Martinez : Mrs. Miller, I realize this is difficult, but your daughter has rights.

  Forreston Graham : [entering]  Your Honor! We demand an immediate cessation of these proceedings.

  Judge Martinez : And you are?

  Forreston Graham : Forreston Graham. Mercer County D.A.'s office. I'm here to protect the rights of the unborn baby Miller. I have a writ of habeas corpus, asserting that the State of New York is illegally holding Evangeline Miller. I also have arrest warrants for the detectives involved in this case.

  Dominick Carisi Jr. : Well, on what charge? Dominick Carisi, Manhattan D.A.'s office.

  Forreston Graham : I have an arrest warrant for you, too, and your boss. Anyone who facilitates the murder of this baby will be charged with causing fetal harm and conspiracy to commit murder, and is subject to immediate prosecution in the State of Ohio. Here's one for you, too, Judge. So whatever decision you were about to hand down, I'd think twice about making an irrevocable mistake.