Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) carried a poster with her to the House floor, explaining how sexual assault can be prevented.
“We’re tired of victim blaming. We’re tired of being told that if we had just done this or done that, it wouldn’t have happened to us. We’re tired of being told to feel guilty about what we wore or what we said,” Bush explained on Tuesday.
She went on to discuss “tips” for how to prevent sexual violence.
“If you’re thinking about putting drugs in someone’s drink, don’t. If you can’t keep yourself from committing sexual assault, always have a trusted friend by your side to stop you from committing sexual assault. If you encounter someone who is drunk, unconscious or asleep, do not commit sexual assault against that person,” Bush said.
She added, “If you see someone walking by themselves, just leave them alone. If you’re worried about committing sexual assault, make sure you wear something that will remind you not to — like a sign or a sticker. If you think you might commit sexual assault, always carry a whistle. When you find yourself about to commit sexual assault, blow the whistle until someone else stops you.”
Bush stood next to her poster, titled, “6 Tips To Not Commit Sexual Assault From A Survivor.”
Watch the video below:
In a message to survivors of sexual violence, Bush said, “Know that no matter how hard the media or your peers or your family or others try to make you feel that what happened to you was your fault. It was not.”
Bush also tweeted, “Believe survivors.”
St. Louis and I rise because we are tired of victim blaming.
— Congresswoman Cori Bush (Archived) (@RepCori) November 2, 2021
To every survivor of sexual violence: Know that no matter how hard the media, your peers, your family, or others may try to make you feel that what happened to you was your fault — it was not.
Believe survivors. pic.twitter.com/CYJUdsD7Mw
In September, Bush shared her experience with being raped and how it led to her having an abortion.
“How could I make this pregnancy work? How could I, at 18 years old and barely scraping by, support a child on my own? And I would have been on my own,” she said.
Bush explained “choosing to have an abortion was the hardest decision I had ever made, but at 18 years old, I knew it was the right decision for me,” adding, it “was freeing knowing I had options.”
The congresswoman told Black women and girls who have had abortions or will have abortions, “We have nothing to be ashamed of. We live in a society that has failed to legislate love and justice for us. So we deserve better. We demand better. We are worthy of better.”
