Editorial: Massachusetts bills stand with victims of sexual assault, not the accused

Article here. Excerpt:

'At the Massachusetts State House Tuesday, hundreds of college students — some of whom have experienced sexual violence — demanded action be taken on bills that would give more rights to sexual assault survivors on their campuses.

These bills are promising to those who have been traumatized by these experiences and are seeking justice for their assailants. The current guidelines advising colleges on how to handle sexual assault cases, which were proposed by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, seem to favor the accused and reverse years of legislative progress made by the Obama administration. These new bills, which are only applicable on the state level, can at least stand with victims and assure them of their rights in court.

If you ask DeVos, the guidelines she proposed are in the name of justice and due process. But in a judicial system that has historically neglected the voices of victims for issues beyond just sexual assault, perhaps it’s that very process that needs amending. Rape survivors deserve all the legal support they can get, and that process shouldn’t be made any harder than it already is.'