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What are the responses to the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh?
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If the allegations were true, Dr. Blasey Ford would have reported it at the time

If it really occurred, there would be no reason for her to wait decades before reporting it.

Context

The alleged sexual assault happened decades ago. Surely, if it was as traumatic as she says, Ford would have reported it at the time?

The Argument

Trump wrote on Twitter that he was in “no doubt” that “if the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities”.

Counter arguments

It is very common for women and men to wait years and even decades before reporting sexual assault and abuses. This happens for a number of reasons, including feelings of shame and guilt surrounding the circumstances of the assault. Many victims simply do not feel ready to put what happened to them into words. They do not feel strong enough to relive the encounter when telling the police, then again in court. They also fear retaliation from the predator. This could be in the form of personal attacks to discredit the victim’s story. The victim and their family and friends can sometimes become the target of smear campaigns. For Ford, it wasn’t until a therapy session in 2012 that she was able to acknowledge what had happened to her. She told the Washington Post that the assault “derailed me substantially for four or five years”.[1] In the wake of Trump’s comments, a Twitter campaign named #WhyIDidntReport offered an outlet for many victims of sexual assault to explain why many victims don’t come forward at the time of the attack.

Proponents

Premises

If the attack was as bad as Ford claims, either her or her parents would have reported it at the time. It wasn’t. Therefore, the attack was not as bad as she claims, or did not happen.

Rejecting the premises

Victims often don't feel able to report attacks at the time for a number of reasons.

References

  1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/california-professor-writer-of-confidential-brett-kavanaugh-letter-speaks-out-about-her-allegation-of-sexual-assault/2018/09/16/46982194-b846-11e8-94eb-3bd52dfe917b_story.html?utm_term=.e933bd8ec86f
This page was last edited on Friday, 17 Apr 2020 at 10:12 UTC

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