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

On April 22, 2015, the sorority sisters at Ohio’s Muskingum University’s Delta house encountered a horrific scene: pools of blood and gore in the first-floor bathroom. No one knew exactly what had happened, but the sisters suspected it had something to do with Emile Weaver. Studious, athletic, and well-liked, Emile had recently started wearing bulky sweatsuits and hiding her midsection, as if she was covering up a sudden weight gain. Could Emile be pregnant?

Emboldened by fear, the sororit...