Lea Thompson is set to star in the Lifetime drama, A Life Interrupted for Incendo Productions and Anne Carlucci Productions.

The film is inspired by the life of Debbie Smith, a rape survivor who successfully lobbied for the passage of anti-rape legislation designed to eliminate the backlog of untested DNA kits, says The Hollywood Reporter. In 1989, Smith, a shy suburban housewife and mother, was dragged from her kitchen in broad daylight and raped in the woods behind her home while her police officer husband was asleep upstairs. After undergoing the rape kit test, Smith waited six years for her rapist to be identified, only to learn that he had been in jail nearly the whole time she had been living in fear of his return.

Upon learning about the estimated half-million untested DNA rape kits across the country, Smith set out to help women in similar circumstances and agreed to work with a forensic scientist to lobby Congress on the importance of nationwide DNA testing. Lifetime also joined in the effort, launching on-air spots and an online petition that resulted in more than 100,000 signatures being presented to Congress. The legislation, known as "The Debbie Smith Act," is expected to put about 70,000 rapists behind bars, according to Lifetime.

A Life Interrupted will debut on Lifetime at 9pm on April 23rd.