Senator Gillibrand Says Fighting Military Sexual Assault is Just the Right Thing to Do

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Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is on fire with her proposal to have independent prosecutors decide which sexual assault cases to prosecute in the military. She’s banging on Senators’ doors to get the support she needs for the looming vote, and today she secured Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s support. At last count she had 50 votes.

But she knows she needs the public’s support, so tomorrow she’s going to be on Katie Couric’s ABC show to discuss why the Military Justice Improvement Act is so important. She made sure to point out that this amendment isn’t partisan, “This reform is not a Democratic idea, it’s not a Republican idea, it’s just the right thing to do.”

Polls back her up on this notion as well, with a majority agreeing with her proposal.

Here’s a sneak peak courtesy of ABC of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-NY) appearance on “Katie” to talk about her amendment to address sexual assault in the military, airing November 20.

Senator Gillibrand made the case for why her bipartisan proposal is so necessary, “This reform is not a Democratic idea, it’s not a Republican idea, it’s just the right thing to do. And that’s why we have to push forward, we have to create a criminal justice system within the military that is as good as, as reliable and delivering of justice that our men and women who serve deserve.”

The New York Democrat pointed out the irony that these men and women fight for our values and yet they can’t get justice when they need it, “These are men and women who will give their lives for this country. Who will give their lives for our values and what we care about, but we can’t prevent these rapes from happening and we can’t make sure that justice is done if they do happen? I think that’s unacceptable. If your son or daughter was in the military and this happened to them, you would want justice to be possible and that’s what we should do for our men and women. They deserve it.”

Senator Gillibrand has gone all out for this amendment. She’s put up with tons of pushback from those who prefer the status quo, but she keeps moving forward with her agenda for justice.

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who supports Gillibrand’s proposal, might want to take note that when a Senator wants to actually pass legislation, they work across the aisle and talk about how it impacts the people it aims to protect or help. (Actual working senators do not stab their colleagues in the back in order to grand stand extreme positions.)

Change is tough for the status quo, but as Gillibrand points out, it’s our duty to provide the men and women serving our country with some semblance of justice. Gillibrand’s proposal is backed by some Democrats and far right wingers like Senator Ted Cruz, while Senator John McCain is a critic. This isn’t about ideology. It’s about justice and it’s about standing up to the rape culture.

Image Credit: Disney/ABC

Sarah Jones

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