United States

Stanford Sexual Assault Victim's Letter Read Aloud in Congress

Reading the letter "sends a clear message to the nation that sexual violence will not be tolerated," Congresswoman Jackie Speier says

The powerful letter written by the victim of a sexual assault on the Stanford campus last year was read on the floor of the House of Representatives Wednesday night.

Speier and about 40 more members of Congress from both sides of the aisle took to the floor for a bipartisan reading of the 12-page victim impact statement that went viral after the woman read it in court, according to a preview from Speier's office.

The woman's attacker, Brock Turner, was sentenced to six months in jail this month, sparking widespread outrage.

"If you think I was spared, came out unscathed, that today I ride off into sunset, while you suffer the greatest blow, you are mistaken. Nobody wins," she wrote in the letter, addressed to Turner.

It's the first reading of an entire victim impact statement for the congressional record on the House floor, according to Speier's office.

"Her powerful words have galvanized Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to come together and elevate the national dialogue on campus sexual violence and violence against women,” Speier said in a statement. “People must understand that rape is one of the most violent crimes a person can commit; not, as Mr. Turner’s father said, ‘20 minutes of action.’ Entering the victim’s impact statement into the Congressional Record not only preserves this moment for history, it sends a clear message to the nation that sexual violence will not be tolerated. I am so very proud of and thankful for my colleagues who are joining me in this historic moment.”

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