A large number of Democratic lawmakers, including Washington Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, have invited guests to Tuesday's State of the Union to raise awareness about the hot-button issues of #MeToo and Immigration.
Senator Murray’s guest, Leah Griffin of Seattle, has been working on sexual assault victim advocacy for years, ever since she says she was drugged and raped in 2014.
“After my attack, I went to the closest emergency room, and I was turned away because they didn't do rape kits there,” Griffin said. “I reached out to Senator Murray and her team, and they thought that was outrageous.”
Griffin has been working on legislation with Murray’s office called the “Survivors’ Access to Supportive Care Act,” which would create best practices and guidelines for hospitals nationwide. It would also survey the current situation to learn how many hospitals in the U.S. lack access to rape kits or resources for victims.
“There are women in the northern villages of Alaska who have to take two plane rides in order to access a rape kit,” said Griffin.
While the problem has made headlines before, Griffin believes there’s now increased awareness and momentum due to the national dialogue around #MeToo.
“The more voices you have, the more powerful you are,” said Griffin.
“I hope the administration and general public realize that this is not a partisan issue. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. There are predators in every party, every religion and every walk of life. No one should be excused and no one should be above the law,” she continued.
Meanwhile, Senator Cantwell has invited Washington immigration advocate, Maru Mora-Villalpando as her guest.
Mora-Villalpando, who is undocumented, says she received a “notice to appear” from ICE in December -- a document that potentially begins deportation proceedings. Villalpando believes she was targeted because of her public activism, which includes organizing the Northwest Detention Center Resistance group.
“We are an easy target because of lack of immigration status, but we need to be together more than ever to create unity, and we should not be afraid,” Villalpando said Monday.
“We think what protects us is the public arena, when people know what they’re doing,” Villalpando said of ICE.
President Trump is expected to touch on immigration during his first State of the Union address. Lawmakers have set a deadline of February 8 to reach a compromise over the DACA program for young, undocumented immigrants and border security.
“We’re going to get something done,” the President said, speaking to reporters Monday. “We hope it's going to be bipartisan, because the Republicans don't have the votes to get it done in any other way, so it has to be bipartisan.”
