If you have watched the news lately or have a smartphone with some type of news app on it, then you probably are familiar with the recent Kavanaugh Senate hearings. If not, here's a quick rundown.

Brett Kavanaugh was previously an attorney and judge in the United States Court of Appeals. In other words, he was a very influential and respected man. In July, President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh as a new Supreme Court Justice. When beginning such a high position, you are required to go through a screening process; normally minor faults in character arise, but no one expected what would follow.

In September, a female professor by the name Dr. Christine Blasely Ford came forward with sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. She stated it happened decades ago at a high school party, she had no clear memory of the events before and after, and there were no witnesses. Shortly after, two more women by the names of Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick also presented with similar allegation.

Kavanaugh was brought in to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and his denial and justification was nothing less than ridiculous. He claims that these allegations have "destroyed" his family and work life and mocked many of his female interviewers. In one instance he was asked if he had blacked out from his alcohol consumption at the party and instead of answering, Kavanaugh returned the question jokingly. But this isn't a joke. The most sickening part is Republican voters, when interviewed, agreed with Kavanaugh and even branded these women (the victims) as "attention-hungry" and "liars."

It is important to recognize that in an era of Brock Turners, Bill Cosbys, and Brett Kavanaughs, sexual assault allegations are not something to take lightly. One in four women on college campuses are victims of sexual assault; it is very likely that someone you know is a part of this statistic. Most of the time these cases go silenced because of the stigma behind women testifying against their perpetrators. The surge of the #MeToo movement on social media is also direct evidence of this.

We live in a constitutional democracy. We should not be afraid to speak up about acts of crimes against us. We should not be forced to be quiet in the fear that the perpetrator's life will be ruined. We should not have to live with the sickening consequences of succumbing to a misogynistic and biased judicial system. We should be allowed to have a voice regarding our bodies. The shaming of sexual assault victims does not belong in the 21st century, and neither does the protection of sexual predators.