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Baby Doe Film Screening and Conversation with Director

October 19

Date

Add to Calendar 2026-10-19 17:30:00 2026-10-19 20:00:00 Baby Doe Film Screening and Conversation with Director From the organization who brought to the College of Law A Crime on the Bayou and Ithaka comes Baby Doe, a new documentary that offers a compelling opportunity to examine the intersection of maternal mental health and criminal responsibility. This topic has become the center of a national discussion in the wake of the Lindsay Clancy case and trial in Massachusetts. Baby Doe follows the story of Gail Ritchey, a young woman from a community in rural Ohio, who, 30 years ago, gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Now a devoted mother of three, her quiet suburban life is shattered when DNA evidence links her to the infamous cold case of “Geauga’s Child,” leading to her arrest for murder despite saying the baby was stillborn. The National Educational Screening Tour offers us opportunities to engage our students of criminal law, gender law, constitutional law, disability law, mental health and disability law, and other related areas of law, in conversations as to the questions that our current legal norms and processes create or reflect under-examined premises. Baby Doe invites students to examine how mental health and reproductive issues intersect with the criminal legal system addressing topics related to pregnancy denial, criminal responsibility, forensic evidence, prosecutorial discretion and more. Given the film's relevance to our program, the College of Law has scheduled a screening of the film for Monday, October 19 at 6 p.m. in Room 308, followed by a conversation with the film's director, Jessica Earnshaw. In this endeavor, we join other law schools including NYU Law, American University Washington College of Law, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Cleveland State University College of Law, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, the University of Cincinnati School of Law, Suffolk University, the University of Richmond, Wake Forest University, Western Michigan University, and several others.  Baby Doe has been described as “an empathetic film that plays like a true crime documentary in which the question is not who did it, but why” (The Hollywood Reporter).  We invite students, staff and faculty and other members of the community to attend this screening.  A short reception will precede the film. Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Room 308 526 Pine St. New Orleans, LA 70118 M. Isabel Medina, Victor H. Schiro Distinguished Professor of Law medina@loyno.edu America/Chicago public

Address

Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Room 308

526 Pine St.

New Orleans, LA 70118

Time

Cost

Free

From the organization who brought to the College of Law A Crime on the Bayou and Ithaka comes Baby Doe, a new documentary that offers a compelling opportunity to examine the intersection of maternal mental health and criminal responsibility. This topic has become the center of a national discussion in the wake of the Lindsay Clancy case and trial in Massachusetts.

Baby Doe follows the story of Gail Ritchey, a young woman from a community in rural Ohio, who, 30 years ago, gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Now a devoted mother of three, her quiet suburban life is shattered when DNA evidence links her to the infamous cold case of “Geauga’s Child,” leading to her arrest for murder despite saying the baby was stillborn.

The National Educational Screening Tour offers us opportunities to engage our students of criminal law, gender law, constitutional law, disability law, mental health and disability law, and other related areas of law, in conversations as to the questions that our current legal norms and processes create or reflect under-examined premises. Baby Doe invites students to examine how mental health and reproductive issues intersect with the criminal legal system addressing topics related to pregnancy denial, criminal responsibility, forensic evidence, prosecutorial discretion and more.

Given the film's relevance to our program, the College of Law has scheduled a screening of the film for Monday, October 19 at 6 p.m. in Room 308, followed by a conversation with the film's director, Jessica Earnshaw.

In this endeavor, we join other law schools including NYU Law, American University Washington College of Law, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Cleveland State University College of Law, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, the University of Cincinnati School of Law, Suffolk University, the University of Richmond, Wake Forest University, Western Michigan University, and several others. 

Baby Doe has been described as “an empathetic film that plays like a true crime documentary in which the question is not who did it, but why” (The Hollywood Reporter).  We invite students, staff and faculty and other members of the community to attend this screening.  A short reception will precede the film.

Baby Doe screening

Event Type

College of Law

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Add to Calendar 2026-10-19 17:30:00 2026-10-19 20:00:00 Baby Doe Film Screening and Conversation with Director From the organization who brought to the College of Law A Crime on the Bayou and Ithaka comes Baby Doe, a new documentary that offers a compelling opportunity to examine the intersection of maternal mental health and criminal responsibility. This topic has become the center of a national discussion in the wake of the Lindsay Clancy case and trial in Massachusetts. Baby Doe follows the story of Gail Ritchey, a young woman from a community in rural Ohio, who, 30 years ago, gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Now a devoted mother of three, her quiet suburban life is shattered when DNA evidence links her to the infamous cold case of “Geauga’s Child,” leading to her arrest for murder despite saying the baby was stillborn. The National Educational Screening Tour offers us opportunities to engage our students of criminal law, gender law, constitutional law, disability law, mental health and disability law, and other related areas of law, in conversations as to the questions that our current legal norms and processes create or reflect under-examined premises. Baby Doe invites students to examine how mental health and reproductive issues intersect with the criminal legal system addressing topics related to pregnancy denial, criminal responsibility, forensic evidence, prosecutorial discretion and more. Given the film's relevance to our program, the College of Law has scheduled a screening of the film for Monday, October 19 at 6 p.m. in Room 308, followed by a conversation with the film's director, Jessica Earnshaw. In this endeavor, we join other law schools including NYU Law, American University Washington College of Law, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, Cleveland State University College of Law, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, the University of Cincinnati School of Law, Suffolk University, the University of Richmond, Wake Forest University, Western Michigan University, and several others.  Baby Doe has been described as “an empathetic film that plays like a true crime documentary in which the question is not who did it, but why” (The Hollywood Reporter).  We invite students, staff and faculty and other members of the community to attend this screening.  A short reception will precede the film. Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Room 308 526 Pine St. New Orleans, LA 70118 M. Isabel Medina, Victor H. Schiro Distinguished Professor of Law medina@loyno.edu America/Chicago public

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