Political Quotes

“I am here to thank my colleagues for their strong, overwhelming, bipartisan support for the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights, an act that I have been proud to help lead and champion, along with my colleagues, Senators Shaheen and Leahy. It is a cause that I championed as a prosecutor and law enforcer in my State, as the Federal prosecutor, U.S. attorney, and then as our attorney general in the State of Connecticut. It is a cause that deserves this kind of overwhelming, bipartisan support because for too long survivors of sexual assault have been denied the basic care and rights they need and deserve, and for too long they have been victimized twice--first by an assailant who fundamentally violated their rights and then by the court system and a law enforcement system that failed to respect and recognize their need for those rights to be enforced effectively. When a survivor of sexual assault engages the criminal justice system, she must be secure, absolutely confident and trusting in her rights and empowered to make informed decisions. Reporting sexual assault requires incredible courage, bravery beyond the imagination of many who fail to understand how much courage is required, and too often the system fails to respect those rights. She deserves a system that is worthy of that bravery.…”