James Waterston (Mr. Harvey) is the son of Sam Waterston, who played Executive ADA / District Attorney Jack McCoy in Law & Order (1990) from 1994 to 2010.
Kevin Kane has appeared in several episodes, playing a different character each time.
- Scott Ryland in Inconceivable (2008)
- Officer Greg Wilcox in Child's Welfare (2012)
- Major Bowman in Nationwide Manhunt (2016)
- Gary Kent in Mea Culpa (2018)
The actress who played Alicia Harvey, the little girl who suffers from brain damage, is uncredited.
Tay-Sachs disease is a rare genetic disorder passed from parents to child. It's caused by the absence of an enzyme that helps break down fatty substances. These fatty substances, called gangliosides, build up to toxic levels in the brain and spinal cord and affect the function of the nerve cells. The condition is usually fatal by around 3 to 5 years of age.
Paige Harvey says "It was done once before in Washington State". This is in reference to the "Ashley Treatment", a controversial set of medical procedures performed on an American child, "Ashley X", born in 1997, in Seattle, Washington. Ashley was born with a severe brain impairment, which would never improve. Although she breathes on her own, she is unable to raise her head, sit up, hold an object, walk, talk, and must be tube-fed. In 2004, when Ashley was six and a half years old, she began to show signs of puberty. In July 2004, Ashley had a hysterectomy (to prevent menstruation) and surgical removal of her nascent breast buds (to prevent development). She also underwent an appendectomy. In December 2006 she completed estrogen therapy through dermal patches, which sped up the natural closure of her growth plates. The principal purpose of the treatment was to improve Ashley's quality of life by limiting her growth in size, eliminating menstrual cramps and bleeding, and preventing discomfort from large breasts.