All language subtitles for Picket.Fences.S03E10.WebRip

‐[radio chatter]
‐[indistinct dialogue]

[man] Hold on.

[Jimmy] Hold it, Dave.
Hold it. You okay?

I'm... I'm fine.
Just get me out, please.

All right, they're gonna
get you out, but just ease up,

‐because you're gonna make
this truck roll.
‐Just get me out.

‐[Jimmy] We'll get you out.
Ease back in.

‐We'll get you out.
‐[David] My leg is stuck.

‐[Jimmy] All right, Dave.
Just take it easy.
‐Hold her on tow

and get a flatbed.
Must've hit a patch of ice.

‐[thud]
‐Kenny, be careful.

‐You don't want it
sliding on top of you.
‐I got it.

Kenny, don't stand back there.

If I don't steady it,
it might slide.

‐[Max] Oh!
‐[Kenny screams]

‐Oh! Oh! What the hell?
‐[Kenny] Aah!

‐Get it off!
‐[Max] A dead cow?

‐[Kenny] Get it off!
‐[Max] I can't.

‐[Kenny groans]
‐What's he doing
with a dead cow?

‐[Kenny] Come on!
‐What the hell
is this all about? Dave?

‐[Max] Somebody do something.
‐Can you get it off?

[theme music playing]

[theme music ends]

He still claims he was just
taking it

to the other side
of the property to bury it.

At night?

Why was its stomach cut open?
And how did the cow die?

Well, I don't know, but what
do you want to do,
investigate a dead cow?

‐Alien DNA!
‐Beg your pardon.

They inject it into cows.
It's going on at
David Pastor's farm. I know it.

What are you talking about?

I'm talking about cows
being experimented on

with DNA from aliens.

‐[sighs]
‐[Carter] It happens. I think
it happened here.

That's why David Pastor tried
to bury that animal at night,

so people wouldn't find out.

‐DNA... from alien creatures.
‐Don't look at me like that.
I'm not a nut.

The FBI's been
all over Delta Glen
for the last week.

They first thought the cows
were being injected

with some bovine growth hormone.

‐Turns out it
was something else.
‐[Max] What?

Well, I don't know
what for sure.

But I play table hockey
with Bernie Toes,

the Delta Glen coroner,

he told me there's talk
of alien DNA.

There were two murders
up there last week.

Plus, a mysterious plane crash
with a doctor

who was injecting kids with some
mysterious vitamin drug,

which turned some of them
into teenage rapists.

What does this have to do
with David Pastor's cows?

Last year I went out there
on an emergency, okay?

Grant Savage was out of town.
David knew I had done
some vet work,

and he called me.
It was very strange.

He had, like, this laboratory...

Remember Gene Lavanchy
and the methane gas chamber?

Well, this facility made that
look like a 4‐H project.

It was a mini‐hospital,

and they were very concerned
about this cow.

More than milk produce
was at stake, I could tell.

And there were technicians
and they were very,
very mysterious.

They didn't want me
asking questions.

Why didn't you say
something before?

I didn't know what to say.

But now it makes sense.

They're doing the same thing
that this Dr. Larson

was doing over in Delta Glen.

Those cows are being injected
with something.

Something is strange
about that farm, Jimmy.

He's got
a lot of high‐tech security.

I don't know
what his produce is.

And David Pastor's
been pretty flush.

How's he making all this money?

Call the FBI.
Test that dead cow.

‐What?
‐[Jimmy] You know
where it's buried?

I do. I helped them
take it to the gravesite.

Dig it up.

‐[man] Almost got it now.
‐[machine whirring]

[radio chatter]

‐[man] That's good.
‐Never exhumed livestock before.
This is excellent!

‐Boy, she's is a biggie.
‐[Kenny] This is crazy.

Just get it back to my office.
I'll test it there.

This is big, Kenny. This is big.

‐[man] How we doin'?
‐Serious rigor mortis.

All right, nice and easy.

Set her down easy,
no bruising.

‐[fax machine beeping]
‐[indistinct chatter]

[sighs] I'd promised myself
I'd never come back
to this town.

‐Agent Morrell.
‐Ah, bovine injections.

You called the FBI
because the local farmer
is giving his cow flu shots.

It's not flu shots.
We've been informed

that some in Delta Glen
have been injected
with some kind of alien DNA.

‐You're mistaken. Oh!
‐Well, then what was the FBI
doing in Delta Glen?

What about the teenage rapist
and the plane crash

and the people in red frocks
who won't eat meat?

I want answers!

You remember Carter Pike,
our coroner?

Test turned up negative,
but that cow had been dead
more than a week.

I need a live sample.

What happened
to the Delta Glen cows?

There was no finding
of alien DNA

with any Delta Glen cow.

Well, Carter says that there's
a mysterious laboratory

here in Rome
where they're doing something.

David Pastor. He doesn't
sell milk. He doesn't sell beef.

His cow's stay indoors
most of the time,
and there's a high‐tech lab.

I'm not just a medical examiner,
I have investigative skills.

Tell him, Max.
I should be deputized.

Well, there was the federal
methane gas program
which utilized cows.

[Carter] Gene Lavanchy.
Cow flatulence.

Global warming. $19 million.
Dancing Bandit.
You let her get away.

Carter?

Are you aware of any other
federal programs
that could be a secret?

Some project that David Pastor
could be involved with?

‐No.
‐[clears throat] Cover up.

‐Excuse me?
‐Go away.

[sighs]

Well, what was going on
at Delta Glen?

That's an unsolved case
and it doesn't involve you.

Now, where did you find
the dead animal?

In the back of a truck
with its stomach cut open.

I did some blood work
but nothing.

I need to test a living cow.

That man is up to something
and I can prove it.

Well, test one
of his living cows.

We'd need a warrant. Can you
get us a federal warrant?

Well, I could, but it would be
much faster just to go
to your local magistrate.

Are you out of your mind?

I just want to test one.

An unspecified inoculum
was already found
in the Delta Glen cows.

‐We just‐‐
‐I think you should be tested.

Your Honor,
the cows in Delta Glen

were in fact injected
with some form of synthetic.

The FBI investigated.

Given Carter's description
of Mr. Pastor's lab,

there's reason to suspect that
something strange
is going on there.

‐Aliens?
‐We're not saying that.

It's just...

he keeps his cows inside a place
that looks like NASA.

We just wanna check it out.

[smacks tongue]

I'll give you a warrant
to take one cow.

Ridiculous. [scoffs]

‐[chicken clucking]
‐[cows mooing]

‐[alarm beeping]
‐[dog barking]

See, what kind of cow farm
has this kind of surveillance?

Let's just investigate, okay?

‐Jimmy?
‐David.

A warrant to search the premises
and confiscate a cow.

‐What?
‐Could you take us to your barn?

You can't do this. This is
an invasion of privacy.

That's why we have the warrant,
David. Let's go, please.

[cows mooing]

[Kenny] Wow! You treat
your cows right, Dave.

I'd like to know
the point of this.

What do you do
with these cows, Dave?

I breed them. They're my cows.

I can do whatever
I want with them.

Look, what the hell
are you people looking for?

[Jimmy sighs]

‐I don't know.
‐[Max] Jimmy?

Take a look.

[cow mooing]

‐Hello.
‐Who are you?

I work for Mr. Pastor.

‐Doing what?
‐I look after the cows.

I'm a veterinarian.

I know what he's up to.
Let me interrogate.
I'll break him, Jimmy.

Carter!

You have eight cows
and one bed.

I can tend to my animals
however I see fit.

I'm not breaking any laws.

‐[cows mooing]
‐Mm‐hmm.

‐Max, Kenny, take a cow.
‐Which one?

That one.

No, not that one.
Uh, she's not feeling well.

She's had some, uh, some colic
and, uh, she doesn't
belong to me.

That's uh... Uh, take this one
over here. Take Sandy.

No, we're taking that one.

This one is sick, Jimmy. Please.
She's... she's a boarder,
you can't.

We're taking that cow, Dave. Go.

What's her name?

‐Wanda.
‐Attagirl, Wanda.
Come on, let's go.

‐[mooing]
‐That's it.

‐I think Ginny was an alien.
‐[Jimmy laughs]

She says she was abducted.

Honey, Ginny wasn't an alien,
and please don't talk

about dead people
at the table, okay?

I think Mayor Pugen
was abducted.

I still don't believe
he just blew up. Come on!

‐Please.
‐Is it legal
to experiment on cows?

I mean, it's bad enough we have
to slaughter them for meat,

but now we're experimenting
on them, too.

[knock on door]

Mm. Excuse me.

[knock on door]

Rachel. Come on in.

I'm really sorry to intrude,

but, Jimmy, that was my cow
you took.

‐[Jimmy] What?
‐[Rachel] Wanda.

What's this all about?

Rachel, there is some suspicion

that David Pastor has been
injecting these cows
with illegal drugs.

Now, we're just doing
a quick blood test.
It'll be done tomorrow.

‐And then I can have her back?
‐Yes.

Please don't delay. This animal
is so important to me.

‐Okay.
‐[Rachel] Thank you.

‐Mm‐hmm.
‐Um...

I'm sorry I intruded.

Thank you.

It's good to see you.

[door closes]

[machine whirring]

Very interesting.

Very interesting!

Yes, it's riveting.
Just give me the results.

Please don't abate me
during an examination.

It compromises the work.

Well... has the cow been
injected, uh, with a synthetic?

It's been injected
with Progesterone.

‐[Max] What's that?
‐A hormone.

Her urine is also loaded
with estrogen.

‐Which means what?
‐Which means this cow
is pregnant.

I think they are breeding
some kind
of genetic mutant calf.

‐Oh, please.
‐Don't "oh, please" me. I did
two years of veterinary school.

I went
into this animal's genitalia.

And I'll tell you
something else, big boy.

This cow is a virgin.

‐What?
‐[Carter] You heard me.

‐Then how did she get pregnant?
‐My point exactly.

[cow mooing]

It's in vitro. That's how
all cattle are bred these days.

Is this true?

‐Actually, yes.
‐Yes.

It's unusual for one person,
a non‐cattle rancher,
to breed this way,

especially with a Holstein.
What are you up to?

It's an embryo transplant.

She may be a Holstein,
but she's carrying an Angus.

I beg your pardon.

Well, this is how
champion cattle are bred.

You take the eggs and the sperm
from the prize animals

and you implant them
into the cheap cows.

‐Why?
‐So you don't put
the expensive ones at risk

with the pregnancy.
It's done that way
all the time in Australia.

Then why are you being
so secret about it?

Well, you're the ones that
are making the big deal here,
not me.

[smacks tongue]
Give her the cow.

I have more tests.

Give her the cow.

This is unbelievable.

Thank you.

‐[door closes]
‐Come on, Wanda.

Come on, sweetie,
back to the barn.

[cow mooing]

That's my girl. Come on.

[chuckles]

So I guess this is all innocent?

It isn't innocent.

I asked to borrow some
of his cows for the pageant,

you know, Ambient,
and he wouldn't give me one.

The man raises cattle,
and he won't give me one cow
for Christmas, the pig.

He's not just a vet.

‐Who?
‐This Dr. Marin.

He's also a molecular biologist,

trained in genetic engineering.
I checked him out.

But why would he be working
for David Pastor?

On Rachel's cow?

Maybe they are breeding
some kind of altered calves.

[Morrell] Oh,
that's ridiculous.

Carter called from the morgue.
It's something big.

‐Back to the morgue? He's a nut.
‐Come on.

He's probably gonna tell us
the cow's a lesbian.

[Carter] Oh, great. Jimmy,
I went back
into this dead beast,

and this cow is pregnant, too.

And get this,
that stomach wound,
that was a C‐section.

This animal died during
an emergency C‐section.

What the hell's going on?

[Carter] Where is the calf?

We were in the barn.
This cow gave birth.
Where is the calf?

He's gotta be hiding something,
Jimmy. He told us
she died of colic.

[Carter] Maybe a cow
with two udders
to boost milk production,

or five legs
for that extra slice of beef,

but they... they're doing
something strange.

Let's get out there.

‐[indistinct dialogue]
‐I should be deputized...

‐You should wait in the car.
‐Hey, I broke this case,
big boy. Don't insult me.

‐[speaking indistinctly]
‐You're a coroner,

‐you should wait in the car
till somebody's dead.
‐Quiet! Quiet, please!

‐What are you people doing here?
‐We board animals here.
We heard there was trouble.

Just stay here, please.
Let's go.

[radio chatter]

It's all right.
It's all right, Wanda.

[Jimmy] Freeze!

‐All right, freeze!
‐[Max] Freeze!

Please get out, she's in labor.

‐As soon as she delivers‐‐
‐Place these men under arrest.

‐Jimmy, please, I beg you‐‐
‐Hands behind your back!

‐[Max] Surround the barn.
‐She can't be in labor.

‐She wasn't in full term.
‐You induced it.

‐[David] She's miscarrying...
‐Please let him speak.

...probably because
of all the stress

that you people brought on!

‐Please leave the room.
‐I'm not leaving the room.

‐Jimmy!
‐[Jimmy] I'm staying.

We got trouble,
there could be a breach.

‐What?
‐Give me the forceps.

I need an extra pair
of hands here.

‐I can do this.
‐Carter!

I'm not just
a medical examiner.

I can deliver cows.

I'm gonna be sick.

[David] Jimmy, please get out.

I'm staying.
You're under arrest.

‐You understand that, David?
‐[Marin] Just hold the head.

‐It's coming.
‐What the hell?

‐Just hold the head.
‐Get ready. Be careful.

‐[Marin] Here it comes.
‐What the hell

‐are you people doing?
‐Just hold the damn head!

‐[Rachel] Be careful.
‐[cow mooing]

‐[Carter] Here it comes,
here it comes.
‐[Marin] It's all right, Wanda.

‐Here it comes. Oh!
Here it comes.
‐It's all right, Wanda.

‐Here it comes.
‐[Carter] Oh, my God!

‐Oh, my God.
‐[cow groaning]

[baby crying]

Oh, my God!

[Marin] It's a boy.
You've got a beautiful son.

I've got a son.

Clamp, clamp, clamp.

[Rachel exclaims]

[people exclaiming]

[Carter] It's a boy.

Aah. Yeah. Clamp.

[baby crying]

[cow mooing]

‐Human?
‐[Max] Yes, human.
It came out of a cow.

‐You say it's human?
‐[Max] Yes, a boy,
a little boy.

You saw it come out
of the cow?

[Max] Yes, I saw it come out
of the cow.

Okay, okay, wait, Max, wait,

slow down. Slow down.

Now, did, um,
anybody else see this?

‐[Max] Yes, what do you think‐‐
‐Okay, okay.

‐Uh...
‐[Max] Now, what do you
want me to do?

Place them under arrest,
I guess.

[Max] For what? What can I
place them under arrest for?

Well, there's gotta be a law
against it.

[Max] Why would there
be a law...

[sighs] I think...

‐[man speaking indistinctly]
‐[cow mooing]

All right, take the baby
to Jill's for a checkup.

‐Read them their rights.
‐For what?

‐For what? For what?
‐[cow mooing]

You got human beings
coming out of cows here.

‐Jimmy!
‐No! No!

No. No. No, no, no.
I am the sheriff.

I will not... I will not
have barnyard animals
delivering humans.

I will not stand for it.

Carter, baby goes to Jill's,
everybody else... jail.

[baby cooing]

No. No!

[cow mooing]

‐[Jimmy] No!
‐[baby cooing]

[bell tolls]

[indistinct dialog]

Very good boy.

What?

Tell me.

He's fine. He's...

He's a perfectly...

human boy.

How can this be?

Well, they... They've been
predicting this. They...

They said that animals
could be used for gestation.

They've been saying...

My OBGYN friend Dr. Christie,
in Winslow,

she says,

that every time
she picks up a newspaper,

she expects to see
that this has happened.

‐[phone ringing]
‐And now it has.

Are you telling me that a cow...

a cow...

can carry and deliver
a human child?

Yes.

You saw it, Jimmy.

It's happened.

I have a problem with my uterus
so I can't bear children.

So you... you chose a cow
as a surrogate?

A cow is better
than a human surrogate.

Uh... how do you figure that?

Well, first of all,
it's cleaner legally.

I own the cow.

So I don't have to go through
what Carter went through

with a surrogate
changing her mind.

And medically, it's safer.

Um, I control the diet,
the environment.

There's no second‐hand smoke
or alcohol or‐‐

Excuse me just one second.

Are you a nut?

[scoffs]

Believe it or not,

this is the future
of fertility clinics.

It's not Rome's future.

There's gotta be a law.

[Bailiff]
Case number 32111,

People vs. Pastor, Marin,
and Harris.

Douglas Wambaugh
for the defendants.

And may I say,
this is the best one yet.

Oh, really?

What have we got now?

Your Honor, the defendants
have been operating

in unlicensed and unlawful
fertility and maternity clinic

using cattle to gestate
and deliver human children.

‐[people murmuring]
‐[woman] What?

I beg your pardon.

I don't think I heard correctly.

You heard right, Judge.

The cow gave birth
to a baby boy.

Udder and son are doing fine.

The breastfeeding possibilities
are endless.

[Judge Bone] A cow?

A human child
was carried to term by a cow?

This is not a crime,

to bring a child into being
from a bovine womb.

There is no law against this,
especially in Wisconsin.

To secure donor eggs
and donor sperm for research,

this is also completely legal.

Research labs
all over the country

are experimenting on embryos.

Your Honor, these people
are operating a baby factory.

Now, that is certainly illegal.

Rachel Harris just had a son
from one of his cows.

And he's darling.

It's outrageous.
This is gross experimenting.

‐I demand that‐‐
‐You stay out of this.

‐This is not for you.
‐I want this facility

‐shut down at once.
‐Shut up.

[people murmuring]

A baby...

from a cow.

He's cute, judge,
got a little dimple.

I want this farm shut down.

‐I want charges brought‐‐
‐For what?

[Judge Bone] All right.

Before I do anything, I want to
conduct an evidentiary hearing

to find out exactly
how this works.

Then, I might quit.

‐We're adjourned
till two o'clock.
‐[bangs gavel]

A cow!

‐A cow, hmm.
‐[people murmuring]

[Rachel sighs]

‐[exclaims]
‐[baby coos]

He checks out. You certainly
have a healthy son.

[both chuckle]

‐Thank you.
‐[chuckles]

Ah!

‐Could I ask‐‐
‐I can.

Who's the father?

I don't know.

I went through a sperm bank,
wrote the check.

I don't know.

But... do you think he looks
a little like me?

[Jill] Rachel, if we
weren't such good friends,

I wouldn't be so blunt,

but I just have to know.

Why this way?

[baby cooing]

Menopause isn't far away, Jill,
and I only have
so many eggs left,

and I wanted another child.

Carter, you should go this route
next time.

No, no. It's not for me.

Aside from the ethical concerns
I have and I do have them,

my child...

his father is gonna be
Carter Pike,

that's cause enough
for schoolyard taunts.

Imagine my telling him
his mother's a cow.

I'm this child's mother.

Oh, I know.

[stutters] Oh, you know
what I mean.

Well, all I can say is that

I've only held this little guy
five minutes tops so far,

‐and it's already worth it.
‐[chuckles softly]

Has he been changed recently?

Ten minutes ago, he peed on me.

You are gonna be something.
[chuckles]

[baby cooing]

‐Goodbye, honey. Mwah. Bye.
‐Bye.

[sighs]

Is it true, he came from a cow?

Yes.

Matthew and Zach, they come
to me about sex questions

and religion
and virgin birth stuff,

what am I supposed to say
about this?

Um...

I'll talk to them.

What are you gonna tell them?

I'll speak to the boys,
Kimberly.

Okay, then what are you
gonna tell me?

They say in ten years or so,
women wanna have babies

but they don't
wanna stop working,

they can just do it this way:

transfer the embryos into a cow.

Is that really possible?

[sighs]

Medically, yes.

Where is it gonna stop?

I don't know.

I... I can't represent the cows.

It would be
a conflict of interest.

I thought one of the main
Jewish rules was
"be kind to animals."

This is true.

Well, this can't be kind.

Don't the Jews care about cows?

Well, we don't take them
as seriously as the Hindus,

but we do care.

The thing is, Zack,

the human race,

we eat hamburgers,
we wear leather shoes
to look nice,

we conduct animal experiments
to cure fatal diseases.

Now, this is all very good
for people,

but not so good for the cow.

And today,
it is still the main rule.

People come first.

Let's start with the pregnancy.

How was this accomplished?

Well, um,
it's surprisingly simple.

Uh, we harvest the female eggs,
fertilize 'em,

then observe them
microscopically

until they reach the blastula
or the morula stage.

What does that mean?

Basically, that means that
they become multi‐cellular.

And we bring a rabbit
into estrus usually with
a hormonal injection.

And once the cow
goes into heat,

we take the fertilized embryo
out of the rabbit

and implant it into the cow.

‐How do you do that?
‐That's also very simple.

We inject the fertilized embryo
into the cervix.

And the animal carries the child
to full term.

That's correct.

How can a cow be compatible?

The cow is given
hormone tablets. Progesterone

And what about the blood supply?

The baby can live off
the cow's blood?

No, the embyo's implanted
with its own placenta.

That means that the fetus
can make its own blood.

Uh, the blood systems
are completely separate.

The only thing the fetus needs
from the cow
are the amino acids,

protein and sugar,

which it gets.

‐How?
‐Well, the nutrition

is passed through the placenta
to the fetus,

with the umbilical cord.

There is no crime here, Judge.

You Honor, the crime is
these people are unlicensed.

He is not a doctor. This is
a medical perversity.

There is nothing perverse
about childbirth.

Mr. Littleton, what charges
are you bringing?

Operating an unlicensed facility
is only‐‐

Your Honor,
I'm not really interested

in bringing any
criminal sanctions against them.

I'm speaking
as an officer of the court.

And as a matter
of public policy, I'm asking you
to shut this facility down.

‐Granted.
‐Thank you, Your Honor.

Just like that.
No big speech first.

[Judge Bone] Here's my speech.

I happen to know

that the
National Institute of Health

has passed guidelines
on research
with human embryos.

They have held it unacceptable

for human embryos
to be transferred to animals
for gestation.

I agree with that ruling,

and I hereby shut
this little baby farm down.

Well, we're not done yet, Judge.

Things are never so simple,
not in Rome, Wisconsin.

What now?

Seated behind me
are six couples,

I could introduce them later.
You could read my brief.

They're all listed.

Why do I care?

These couples also have
cows impregnated

with their children
at Pastor Farm.

If you shut down that facility,

‐you jeopardize‐‐
‐Oh, no!

How pregnant are these animals?

Well, uh...

‐Only a few weeks but‐‐
‐Your Honor,

also in keeping
with public policy,

I'd request that
these pregnancies
be terminated.

‐What?
‐They're in their
first trimester,

‐the state has an interest‐‐
‐Now, wait a second!

‐Henry!
‐I'll be brief.

I'm all for stopping
what's going on over there,

but when you start talking
about aborting human life‐‐

‐This doesn't concern you.
‐Roe v. Wade.

[all three
talking over each other]

‐I have‐‐
‐Quiet!

Dear God in Heaven!

You will not fertilize
any more embryos.

As to the already pregnant cows,

I'll hear arguments.

Tomorrow. Ten o'clock.

Then I really am quitting!

[bangs gavel]

[children singing
Christmas carol]

Keeps singing, kids.

You're doing fine.
Pay no attention.

[indistinct chatter]

What's going on?

That's going on.

It's a sacrilege.

Baby Jesus under the virgin cow.

I'm thinking
this is just the beginning.

Whole towns are gonna
become a circus
because of this perversity.

How could this have happened?

This is science, Henry.
Try to look at it as...

[children singing
Christmas carol]

...medical progress.

[children singing
Christmas carol]

[Rachel] Hi.

Rachel?

You're working late.

Yeah, well, it's kind of hard
to find case law in this one.

You find this whole thing
pretty perverse, don't you?

Yes, I do.

[smacks tongue] I...

You know, with due respect
to your position,

I'd like you to consider
these other parents.

I have, Rachel.

Their children are living
inside those animals.

My life, uh,
it's just been changed forever.

And, well, sometimes with...

Well, amidst all the politics
and the law,

the simplest truths
are overlooked.

[Littleton]
Here's a simple truth.

My wife and I couldn't conceive.

It was our third attempt
at in vitro
that Diana finally got pregnant.

I mean, I only have Cara
because of science
and technology,

and I promise you, my daughter
is my life.

Without her, I'm... I'm...
I'm 100% nothing.

So science has changed
my life forever, too.

This position
I'm taking, it's...

It's not because
I don't understand.

Mom said she'd speak to you.

I don't want
the parents' version.

I need the truth.

So do I.

[sighs] Okay, what?

Maybe Jesus
wasn't a virgin birth.

He could have been
a test tube baby.

They didn't have
test tube babies then.

[Matthew] What?

They had divine miracles
but no test tubes?

Christianity could be
a big fraud.

Mary could have been a freak
with weird DNA.

I really don't think
that was it, Zack.

And the Jews,

they say to be nice to animals,

but Mr. Wambaugh doesn't care
about cows.

I was thinking about
becoming a Muslim,

but Matthew says I have to climb
a mountain first.

Why do you ever believe
anything he says?

Just tell me.

Whose god should I believe in?

[sighs]

None.

What?

Look, you came to me
for the truth
so I'm gonna give it to you.

I don't think there is a God.

You don't?

No.

Why do we have Christmas?

[sighs]

I think God...

I think He's a man‐made thing
to give us all hope,

so that when bad things happen,

we can look to something
that we can't see,

and pretend like everything's
gonna be okay.

That isn't true, Kimberly.

Of course there is a God.

Prove it.

Could I see you in my room
for a minute, please?

She can't prove it.

[dog barking in distance]

[sighs]

How can you tell your brothers
there is no God?

They asked me my opinion
so I told them.

Well, first of all, I don't know
where this is coming from.

And second of all, Kimberly,
I would appreciate it

if you would not
tell your brothers.

Mathhew's 13, Zack is ten.

They're impressionable children.

Yes, they are impressionable.
A cow just gave birth
to a human.

That makes an impression.
Why haven't you talked to them?

‐I will.
‐When?

Well... soon.

[scoffs]

You don't know what to say,
do you? You're stuck.

I'm not stuck.
I'm... I'm just...

A cow delivers a baby boy
and you have no idea

as to how to make
any religious sense of it.

Well, that doesn't mean
that you should start declaring
there's no God.

You don't think I wanna believe?
Are you crazy?

I had a friend who was murdered
by her own mother.

I can't turn on the news
without seeing...

You don't think I wanna believe
that there's somebody up there

in charge of the happy endings?

But how can I, Mom?

There isn't a god.
There couldn't be.

[reporter on TV]
And this beats all.
In Rome, Wisconsin...

Where else? ...a cow
has given birth
to a human baby boy.

John Kenneth Harris weighed in
at eight pounds, four ounces

after being delivered naturally
by a full‐bread Holstein
four‐year old.

They should do a documentary
about this town.

Who would believe it?

You okay, honey?

Why wouldn't I be?

[door shuts]

Medical technology
is a wonderful thing.

Through gene therapy,
we're discovering cures to
once fatal diseases every day.

We've found the gene
for cystic fibrosis,
breast cancer.

A fetal tissue transplant
saved Bill McGrath
from Parkinson's disease.

But there have to be boundaries,
Your Honor.

Now...

I don't know
where the line is but...

using a cow's uterus to carry
a human child to term,

that has to be
on the other side of it.

There's a difference between
using medical technology
to save life,

and using science
to artificially manufacture it.

Why? What's the difference?

I hear what you're saying,
Counsel,

but we use technology
to save lives?

We use animal parts and valves
to replace human ones.

Is it really such a stretch

to use technology
and animal parts

to gestate human life.

It isn't natural.

Is it for any of us to say
what's natural.

I have seen you
with your daughter,
Mr. Littleton.

The way your face lights up,

I know you look at her
and experience, well,

maybe a miracle.

I see the same look
in Rachel Harris.

Those couples right there,

they want to know that feeling.

Are we to deny them that

because it isn't natural?

[Littleton]
But where does it stop?

Today it's "hatch‐a‐baby,"

and we're already manipulating
genes to choose sex.

We have the technology
to split embryos
to make twins.

The day is coming where we
will be able to manipulate genes

to have
custom‐designed children.

That day isn't here,
Mr. Littleton.

The question is only
whether the pregnancies

of these six cows
should be terminated?

The question is,

how far should science interfere
in human pregnancies?

Before we're approaching
eugenics,

and don't tell me
that day isn't here.

Last year China
announced a program

of forced sterilizations
and mandatory abortions

to avoid births
of inferior quality children,

all this in an effort
to heighten the standards
of the country.

This isn't China.

No, this is Rome.

And we have to decide today
what limits are acceptable here
in Rome, Wisconsin.

My God, we're taking
the simplest
and most miraculous equation:

the miracle of life.

And we're using test tubes
and animals to...

What are we doing?

Last night some pranksters
put the Baby Jesus doll
under a fake cow.

Look at this room...

filled with cameramen
and reporters and...

All of these people
are waiting to see

if Rome, Wisconsin,
will allow cattle

to bear its children.

It isn't natural.

This is not a case about
the abuse of genetic testing.

It's not a case about cows.

Today, it's just a case
about human beings.

Mr. Littleton talks of nature's
greatest miracle: life.

I agree.

Life lives in those six cows.

Now, we're not trying
to manipulate the genes

to give them blue eyes
or white skin or long legs.

Maybe that abuse will come to be
one day,

in which case, I hope,

you'll put a stop to it.

But what he's asking you
to put a stop to today

is human life.

Indulge me just a second, Judge.

I have a little stunt.

I just want you to peek
at this rascal.

Life.

He is here
because of technology.

His name is
John Kenneth Harris.

If he smiles,

you'll see the dimple.

‐[chuckles]
‐[baby coos]

Such a horrible thing
science can be,

just awful.

‐[people murmuring]
‐[chair creaks]

[indistinct chatter]

[sighs] Hi.

Hi.

‐So, the Judge
is deliberating, huh?
‐Yep.

Honey, I...

didn't mean to yell at you
last night.

I know.

I'm curious.

Why has this cow business
been so upsetting to you?

I don't know.

[Jill] I think you do.

What does it have to do
with believing in God?

[sighs] It's just...

there are no miracles in life.

Everything is explained
by science.

What were are, it's our genes.

Everything is on a DNA barcode.

[shrugs] You don't really
believe that.

Mom, we can manipulate genes
to eradicate diseases.

We have cows carrying
human fetuses.

This may all seem like progress
but it just goes to show

that man and science
are in control,

not God.

Well, unless God intended
for man to manipulate science.

Yeah, but you have to admit,
with every new discovery,

every fossil, every new gene,

it all goes
to scientific theory.

There's no wonder anymore.

There's no room for it.

God is being factored
out of the equation.

This cow business...

it doesn't scare you?

[sighs]

It terrifies me.

[people clamoring]

[Bailiff] Be seated.

[Judge Bone] Just once,
I'd like to decide
a nuisance case

brought by a farmer

over a neighbor's
oversized grain silo.

Instead, I get genetics,

and embryo transplants,

and a D. A.

who implores me to step in
before Rome becomes China.

Here comes the big speech.

What did you say, Counsel?

I was just telling my clients
I'm a character.

I see.

Well, it's time for me
to talk to your clients.

I'm not going
to get into genetics

and the miracle of life,

and the potential horror

of gene manipulation.

Instead, I'm gonna
make this real simple.

Roe v. Wade

balances the state
and Christian life

versus the rights of the woman
to control her body.

In this case, we have no women.

Just cows.

And the Supreme Court
gives no protection to the cow.

The state interest in life
is therefore uncontested.

‐So, there will be no abortions.
‐[expectant parents exclaim]

‐First trimester or otherwise.
‐[people murmuring]

There will be no more
embryo transplants.

But these six pregnancies
will not be terminated.

My hope is,

that government does step in

and monitor this speeding train
of gene therapy

and fertility technology.

If not for our sakes...

then for the cows.

Food chains or not,

they certainly
don't deserve this.

‐Adjourned.
‐[bangs gavel]

‐[people murmuring]
‐[exclaims, chuckles]

Your Honor...

[door closes]

I'm sorry to bother you but...

do you believe in God?

I've been
a little confused lately.

Where I do or not
is totally irrelevant
as to whether you do.

I know but you seem
to have insights.

I'm a judge, young lady.

That means in this room,

I neither do nor say anything
to establish religion.

It's in my rule book.

In this room. So, if I
ran into you in some other room?

There's a big one
you can find me in
every Sunday.

Now,

even though you're not
technically a lawyer,

I'd like to say something
I say to other attorneys

‐in these chambers.
‐What?

Get out.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas.

[door closes]

♪ Away in a manger
No crib for His bed ♪

♪ The little Lord Jesus
Lay down His sweet head ♪

♪ The stars in the Heavens
Look down where He lay ♪

♪ The little Lord Jesus
Asleep on the hay ♪

♪ The cattle are lowing
The poor Baby wakes ♪

♪ But little Lord Jesus
No crying He makes ♪

♪ I love Thee, Lord Jesus
Look down from the sky ♪

♪ And stay by my cradle
'Til morning is nigh... ♪

[baby coos]

♪ Be near me, Lord Jesus
I ask Thee to stay ♪

♪ Close by me forever
And love me, I pray ♪

♪ Bless all the dear children
In Thy tender care ♪

‐♪ And take us to Heaven
To live with Thee there ♪
‐[bell tolls]

[theme music playing]

[theme music ends]