Saturday Night Radio Drama - Emil Sher - Mourning Dove

Mourning Dove 

This is a play about the real case of a Saskatchewan farmer who killed his severely disabled daughter.  

Inspired by the story of Robert Latimer, the Saskatchewan farmer who made headlines when he was convicted for the death of his severely handicapped daughter, Mourning Dove explores the highly-charged issues involving mercy killings. Doug Ramsay watches as his daughter, who is stricken with severe cerebral palsy, declines daily. He resolves to put an end to her suffering, but will he commit an act of cold-blooded murder or will he be responsible for the ultimate act of parental love for a helpless child? Doug Ramsay believes he is acting in his daughter's best interests when he takes her life. What he doesn't anticipate is the fallout from his decision. 

With R H Thompson, Martha Burns, David MacFarlane and Ken James  

Director Gregory J Sinclair 


Mourning Dove won a gold medal at the New York Festivals International Radio Competition.

I don't have any brilliant insight into how to think about the real life event behind the play, I don't think anyone does.  The case is called The Robert Latimer Case, notably, not "The Tracy Latimer Case," I'd guess hardly anyone remembers the name of the daughter.   I'd  guess it's still controversial because there isn't any way to know what's right. I think most of the people who think about cases like this find it a lot more easy to imagine how they might be driven to do what Robert Latimer did than can understand it from the point of view of his daughter.  None of us can hear her side of it.   I don't think any of us can really know much more than we can imagine about it.   Certainly not for someone who isn't involved in it.  Thinking about all of the different points of view possible don't seem to get you any farther.  I'm not even sure what the play can tell you that you don't start out with.  I don't think a play necessarily comes to a resolution.   I don't know how I'd have voted if I was on the jury though I don't think he was evil but I don't think it's right to have people killing other people, either.

It's a hard play to listen to but I think it's a good play.