UNITED STATES—Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh had to undergo scrutiny and was accused of sexual misconduct before being appointed to the United States highest court. Kavanaugh denied all allegations against him made by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. After a supplemental Senate Judiciary Committee hearing along with an FBI investigation, the U.S. Senate confirmed Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination by a vote of 50-48, and he was sworn in on October 6.
The accusers are still protesting the confirmation of the new Supreme Court Justice, even though no evidence was discovered indicating a crime was committed. With no recollection of where or when the incident occurred, Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her as a teen nearly 30 years ago with no concrete evidence to support her claim.
Canyon News spoke to Paula Lett of LP, MAC, MACMHC. As a licensed professional counselor, she stated that ”Sexual abuse victims may suffer from a myriad of symptoms which may not completely surface at the time of the abuse, but could appear at a later time in life. Common characteristics of victims of sexual abuse include, but are not limited to: fear, shame, humiliation, grief, self-harm, self blame, post-traumatic stress, nightmares, flashbacks. Some abuse victims even feel like they were to blame for the abuse even occurring.
While there is no specific diagnosis in the DSM-V for sexual abuse, sexual abuse victims may exhibit specific conditions for which clinical attention is needed such as: depression, anxiety, reactive attachment disorder, adjustment disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder or other stress -related disorders (DSM-V, 2013).”
A defamation of character and/or slander lawsuit could be filed along with perjury for false testimonies given under oath, if found to be true.
Ford accepted monies to the tune of $800,000. It is not clear if she is permitted to keep the donations received. Chris Britt, a Creators Syndicate editorial cartoonist, published a cartoon that mocked the prayers of Kavanaugh’s daughter who prayed for Dr. Ford. No word has been disclosed regarding a libel suit for the cartoon.
