10 powerful quotes from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony

We have compiled 10 of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s most powerful and important quotes from her testimony.

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford gave her testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27 during the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh. In case you’re not aware of the background, Dr. Ford has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her at a party in 1982, first shared via an anonymous letter with Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and then detailed in an interview with The Washington Post.

We know that watching the confirmation hearings and also hearing the rhetoric around sexual assault is difficult for many people. If you need to take a break from the news to take care of yourself, you should do just that. There is no shame in taking care of yourself as these topics are heavy and triggering for many.

We have compiled a list of powerful quotes from Dr. Ford’s testimony. Having to stand in front of the committee, and in many ways the entire country, and talk about her trauma is extremely brave and difficult. Here are some of the most powerful quotes she said at the hearing. Hopefully, these quotes can help you feel inspired and find strength, too.

Disclaimer: Please note that a couple of the quotes below may be disturbing or difficult to read. 

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 27: Christine Blasey Ford, with lawyer Debra S. Katz, left, answers questions at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Thursday, September 27, 2018 on Capitol Hill. (Photo by Melina Mara-Pool/Getty Images)

1. “I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.”

2. “Apart from the assault itself, these last couple of weeks have been the hardest of my life. I have had to relive my trauma in front of the entire world.”

3. “As the hearing date got closer, I struggled with a terrible choice: Do I share the facts with the Senate and put myself and my family in the public spotlight, or do I preserve our privacy and allow the Senate to make its decision without knowing the full truth of his past behaviors?”

4. “I have been accused of acting out of partisan political motives. Those who say that do not know me. I am an independent person and I am no one’s pawn.”

5. “All sexual assault victims should be able to decide for themselves whether their private experience is made public.”

PORTLAND, ME – SEPTEMBER 28: Protestors gather across the street from Sen. Susan Collins’ office to urge Sen. Collins to vote no on the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on September 28, 2018 in Portland, Maine. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) was crucial in getting the committee to agree to an additional week of investigations into accusations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh before the full Senate votes. A day earlier the committee heard from Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford, a California professor who has accused Kavnaugh of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982 when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. (Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images)

6. When Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked Dr. Ford, “With what degree of certainty do you believe Brett Kavanaugh assaulted you?” Her response was “100 percent.”

7. “It is not my responsibility to determine whether Mr. Kavanaugh deserves to sit on the Supreme Court. My responsibility is to tell the truth.”

8. “Indelible in the hippocampus is the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two and their having fun at my expense.”

9. “I called my congressional representative and let her receptionist know that someone on the President’s shortlist had attacked me. I also sent a message to The Washington Post’s confidential tip line… I stated that Mr. Kavanaugh had assaulted me in the 1980s in Maryland. This was an extremely hard thing for me to do, but I felt I couldn’t NOT do it.”

10. “Thousands and thousands of people who have had their lives dramatically altered by sexual violence have reached out to share their experience and have thanked me for coming forward.”

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 27: Protestors rally against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh as they march on Capitol Hill, September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC. On Thursday, Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

We are thankful for Dr. Ford’s bravery, and for the bravery of so many others like her who speak up and speak out even when it causes them great distress. We stand with her and with all survivors.

If you or someone you know is or has been the victim of sexual assault, please know you can go to RAINN.org or call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for support.