Kavanaugh not fit for Supreme Court

On Sept. 27, Dr. Christine Ford stood and testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee with sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Both answered questions for hours on end in front of committee members, trying to prove that they were telling the truth. Kavanaugh said that Dr. Ford is making up the entire story, while she said that she remembers the event clearly. The senate judiciary committee was faced with a moral and ethical dilemma while they tried to come to a conclusion.

Many are alleging that Dr. Ford has a partisan agenda against Kavanaugh, and her only reason for speaking up was to try and make sure he was not appointed as a Supreme Court justice. In her opening statement, Dr. Ford said, “I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.” 

The fact is, Dr. Ford has specific pieces of evidence that prove she is telling the truth. Several of her close friends say that she told them years before Kavanaugh was nominated for Supreme Court about the horrific event. She also has notes from therapy sessions from years before as well. Her story is corroborated by a number of credible sources, and it is ridiculous that senate members are still unconvinced of her allegations, yet there is no amount of evidence that will change the minds of committee members like Senator Lindsey Graham who told Democrats, “This is the most unethical sham since I have been in politics, and if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you’ve done to this guy.” 

Senator Graham’s comment comes after hearing Kavanaugh’s defense, which mostly involved him talking about what a good guy he was. “A majority of my 48 law clerks over the last 12 years have been women. In a letter to this committee, my women law clerk said I was one of the strongest advocates in the federal judiciary for women lawyers, and they wrote that the legal profession is fairer and more equal for women lawyers and wrote the legal profession is fairer and more equal because of me. In my time on the bench, no federal judge, not a single one in the country, has sent more women law clerks to clerk on the Supreme Court than I have,” Kavanaugh said. 

Not only is this argument completely off topic, it is one that has been used time and time again to justify malevolent acts. Proving that you are a good guy is not the same as proving you did not commit the crime. “Good guys” all around the world commit appalling crimes every day. In August, Chris Watts was charged with killing his wife and two children, even though friends described them as “a perfect family.” Just because Kavanaugh has hired women does not in any way relate to his activities during his high school years. 

Kavanaugh also talked about the stress that the accusations have had on his family. “The other night [my wife] Ashley and my daughter, Liza, said their prayers and little Liza, all of 10 years old, said … we should pray for the woman. That’s a lot of wisdom from a 10-year-old. We mean no ill will,” Kavanaugh said. 

While I don’t doubt that his daughter is upset over the accusations against her father, Kavanaugh is refusing to acknowledge the amount of trauma this event must have had on Dr. Ford. Not only did she endure a horrific event that no one should ever have to go through, but she is willing to relive it in front of the leaders of our nation. Dr. Ford is inspiring millions of other sexual assault survivors to bravely come forward and share their stories.  “Thousands of people who have had their lives dramatically altered by sexual violence have reached out to share their own experiences with me and have thanked me for coming forward,” Ford said. “At the same time, my greatest fears have been realized—and the reality has been far worse than what I expected. My family and I have been the target of constant harassment and death threats. I have been called the most vile and hateful names imaginable. These messages, while far fewer than the expressions of support, have been terrifying to receive and have rocked me to my core.”

While being questioned, Dr. Ford received immense support from California senator Kamala Harris who said this to Ford, “You have passed a polygraph and submitted the results to this committee. Judge Kavanaugh has not. You have called for outside witnesses to testify and for expert witnesses to testify. Judge Kavanaugh has not. But most importantly, you have called for an independent FBI investigation into the facts. Judge Kavanaugh has not. And we owe you that. We owe the American people that. Let’s talk about why that is so important.” She later went on to tell Dr.Ford, “I believe you.”

This is not a partisan issue. This is a criminal issue that affects many Americans. One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives. By silencing Dr. Ford, we are telling survivors that they shouldn’t come forward. As a nation, we need to believe survivors and allow them to tell their stories in a safe and supporting environment. An FBI investigation is absolutely necessary to get to the bottom of Judge Kavanaugh’s actions. The senators who voted in favor of Kavanugh becoming a Supreme Court justice would feel differently if Dr. Ford was their daughter, sister or mother. Justice Brett Kavanaugh does not deserve a place on our Supreme Court.

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