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Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck

In collaboration with the New-York Historical Society, the Bryant Park Reading Room presents a series of free lectures on popular topics including biography, the Supreme Court, Civil War history, and more.

In the 1927 ruling of Buck v. Bell, eight justices on the U.S. Supreme Court—including former president William Howard Taft and Louis Brandeis—ruled in favor of allowing compulsory eugenic sterilization of the “unfit” and intellectually disabled. Adam Cohen discusses the practice’s supporters and victims, shedding light on this dark moment in the American legal tradition that ultimately led to the sterilization of 70,000 Americans.

Adam Cohen, author of Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck, is former assistant editorial page editor of The New York Times.











When: Wed., Aug. 17, 2016 at 7:00 pm
Where: Bryant Park/Bryant Park Reading Room
Between 40th & 42nd Sts. and Fifth and Sixth Aves.

Price: Free
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In collaboration with the New-York Historical Society, the Bryant Park Reading Room presents a series of free lectures on popular topics including biography, the Supreme Court, Civil War history, and more.

In the 1927 ruling of Buck v. Bell, eight justices on the U.S. Supreme Court—including former president William Howard Taft and Louis Brandeis—ruled in favor of allowing compulsory eugenic sterilization of the “unfit” and intellectually disabled. Adam Cohen discusses the practice’s supporters and victims, shedding light on this dark moment in the American legal tradition that ultimately led to the sterilization of 70,000 Americans.

Adam Cohen, author of Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck, is former assistant editorial page editor of The New York Times.

Buy tickets/get more info now