On October 5, 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed into the Supreme Court with a 50-48 vote, the lowest amount of votes for any Supreme Court justice. Nevertheless, it was a win for Trump and Republicans and a slap to the face of sexual assault victims.
There were many sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified against Kavanaugh, allowing other women, such as Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick, come forth with their stories to which Kavanaugh denied taking place.
Due to this, the #MeToo movement has uproared these past few months with many victims speaking out about their stories. This means strong support for Dr. Ford and an even stronger will to do whatever it takes to not have Kavanaugh appointed. Unfortunately, this was not enough.
Kavanaugh denied the allegations, stating that he has “always treated women with dignity and respect.” However, does that fully justify and excuse the actions he allegedly committed?
I think what most people hold against Dr. Ford is the fact that she decided to speak about her sexual assault now during the appointment of Supreme Court justices. Dr. Ford feared that because Kavanaugh did not actually rape her, there was nothing to report. Society has a tendency to defend the assaulter with the “boys will be boys” statement whenever they find the situation not as traumatic as rape. Dr. Ford also feared her parents’ reactions due to the fact that she was a 15-year-old at a party with alcohol. Although underage drinking is never okay, it bothers me that people focus more on the alcohol rather than the assault in the story.
People need to understand that it is not always easy to retell the memory of a sexual assault. There is and will be many more victims that will still not be able to. There will be many more stories that will involve well-known names. The #MeToo movement is working to make it a safer place for victims to come forth with their stories. Dr. Ford’s is just one of them.
