Why do we dismiss the accounts of survivors?

By Dahlia MichaelIn an already polarizing battle between our two major political parties over his confirmation, Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh has now been accused of sexual assault by three women: Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Deborah Ramirez, and Julie Swetnick. These women have presented information that the Senate Judiciary Committee must consider relevant before the vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh.  After Thursday’s hearing, where both Ford and Kavanaugh testified, the Judiciary Committee decided to hold an investigation at Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake’s request, after he was confronted by sexual assault survivors that prompted him to call for one.The women making these accusations have been forced to relive their trauma in front of the entire country, for the sake of our future, and have been bombarded with a stream of vile insults and death threats immediately after coming forward. The courage they have exhibited has been praised by survivors of assault and their allies alike, but has also gone unnoticed, and has even been mocked by many.  have claimed that the accusers simply want attention and, even if they are telling the truth, that what he has been accused of is commonplace. The women’s allegations have been met with immediate refutations from Kavanaugh himself, stating he was a good student that never got drunk to the point of forgetting events that transpired, members of the Republican Party that stated he was a good, family man that believed in God, and several citizens of our nation that have quickly jumped to his defense, on social media and on television, almost as if they knew him personally. As a society, we are often quick to brush aside accusations like these and accuse women of lying before any of the facts are investigated. We must be aware of this pattern that repeats itself whenever an issue like this arises; this is the first step to reshaping our biased perspective. Centuries of legal precedent have established that, in criminal cases, one is innocent until proven guilty. While this principle still stands, Kavanaugh is being considered for the highest court in the land. If confirmed, he will sit on this Court for the rest of his life; the decisions he has the potential to make will transcend generations. We must hold someone that aims to be in this position to a higher standard than the average citizen.Brett Kavanaugh was 17 years old at the time of Ford’s alleged assault. This factor launched a nationwide debate and led many commentators and writers to chime in, stating they “would hate for someone to ask them what they were doing at age seventeen,” and that “the mistakes someone makes at that age shouldn’t follow them for the rest of their lives.” At age 17, we are one year away from being able to make decisions that impact our nation’s future, one year away from being able to enlist in the military, one year away from being a legal adult. If we are responsible for our actions when breaking the law at age 18, we must be held accountable for breaking the law at age 17 as well. Violating someone in this way, at age 17 or otherwise, should absolutely disqualify you from consideration for such an important position in our legal system.This is not a criminal proceeding; no one is attempting to jail Kavanaugh. He is simply being investigated thoroughly, to the fullest extent, as someone vying to be on the highest court in the land should be. There are plenty of qualified candidates that could fill the empty seat on the Court, so the past of these candidates should be heavily scrutinized. The inconsistent logic and disregard for a moral compass that many are exhibiting, all to ensure Kavanaugh sits on the Supreme Court, is disturbing to say the least. If confirmed, this man will make monumental decisions that will impact our country for generations to come. A man that may have violated and ignored the rights of three women could be responsible for making decisions that will affect every single woman in America.Kavanaugh should withdraw himself from consideration immediately. In fact, this should be demanded on a bipartisan level; sexual assault is not a partisan issue and we must refrain from treating it as such. In a nation of law and order, we must hold everyone accountable for their actions. It is time for us to do better-- it is time for this accountability to be universal. Let us ask ourselves: when will our nation have empathy and understanding for a group of people other than white men?