We had the privilege of interviewing Dr. David Bingham for an edition of "The Storyline" podcast a few days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision.

Please listen to the podcast, which is attached to this column, to hear Bingham tell the story in his own words.

Fresh out of medical school and the military, Bingham settled with his wife, Annie, in a home on his family's compound in Salem and in 1973 opened the region's first clinic providing access to contraceptives and abortions. That was the year the Supreme Court decided, in Roe v. Wade, that women had a fundamental right to choose whether to have abortions without excessive government restriction.

Now in his 80s and retired from medicine, he is a self-labeled "news junkie" and frequent letter writer to The Day. He said he was not surprised by the court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, having watched confirmation hearings for the justices and followed the issue for more than half a century.

Sitting straight in an armchair in his living room overlooking his beloved woods, Bingham took us back to the days when women desperate to terminate their pregnancies maimed or killed themselves with coat hangers, knitting needles and chemicals. He talked of hospital "septic tank wards" for women suffering from the effects of botched abortions.

He told us how the introduction of "the pill" and IUDs and access to safe abortion procedures improved women's lives and our society. His life's mission was not to perform abortions, though he did, but to protect the health of women whose lives were at risk during pregnancy and prevent the birth of unwanted children into impoverished and abusive homes.

He described joyfully delivering babies, including those whose mothers' earlier circumstances had led them to abort pregnancies. Bingham has always contended the safety of the women is paramount. He pioneered medical procedures to make abortions safer and helped ensure abortion rights were written into Connecticut state law.

Bingham only mentioned in passing how he was confronted regularly during his career by anti-abortion protesters.

Throughout his life, he's been resolute in his beliefs and practices, and providing for people beyond the clinical work. He's passionate about the environment and making sure kids from the city get opportunities to enjoy Salem each summer. He's involved in an effort to provide affordable housing in town.

He expressed hope that the people would not tolerate the current state of affairs and that the appointed-for-life U.S. Supreme Court justices whose vote overturned almost 50 years of progress would grow.

My colleague Carlos Virgen and I planned initially to talk to women first for our podcast on the Dobbs decision, and to interview people who had differing points of view. We could still do that, because the issue is not going away. We think our audience will be well-informed by Bingham's 50-year view of the subject.

During the interview, he returned repeatedly to the now dire predicament those who are living in poverty and won't be able to travel out of state to afford an abortion. 

He recommended a movie called "The Janes," now available on Netflix, about a group of women who ran a clandestine operation to help women, prior to Roe v. Wade, access safe and affordable abortions. 

Sometimes we interview somebody and realize we're speaking with a giant. This was one of those experiences, and we're grateful to have met a man so wise, worldly, kind and accomplished beyond most of our dreams. 

This is the opinion of Karen Florin, The Day's engagement editor. She can be reached at (860) 701-4217 or k.florin@theday.com.