Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

'Imbeciles' Explores Legacy Of Eugenics In America

Adam Cohen's new book tells the story of the 1927 Supreme Court case Buck v. Bell. The ruling permitted the state of Virginia to sterilize an "imbecile" — a scientific term of the day. Cohen discusses the decision, and its legacy, with NPR's Robert Siegel.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Corrected: February 25, 2016 at 10:00 PM MST
In an early version of this story, our guest incorrectly said that Anne Frank died at Auschwitz. She died at Bergen-Belsen.
KUER is listener-supported public radio. Support this work by making a donation today.