Today I sat down with Clara S. Lewis, author of American Infanticide: Sexism, Science, and the Politics of Sympathy, to examine the deeply unsettling and complex case of Emile Weaver, a college student convicted of killing her newborn in 2015. Clara walked me through how the legal system, media, and public perception often fail to grasp the complex realities behind neonaticide and infanticide in America. From the influence of a long history of stigmatizing young mothers that shape how we respond to these tragedies, the systemic forces that leave young women isolated and desperate, we discussed why these cases are far more common and more misunderstood than many realize. This is a conversation about stigma, silence, and the consequences of a justice system ill-equipped to reckon with maternal trauma.

Get American Infanticide: Sexism, Science, and the Politics of Sympathy here

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