Judge Brett Kavanaugh, the President’s second nominee to the Supreme Court of the United States, has been accused of sexual misconduct by a former classmate, Dr. Christine Blasley Ford. The accusation comes just days before the Senate Judiciary Committee is slated to vote on his nomination, putting a halt to normal confirmation proceedings

Dr. Ford says that Kavanaugh had cornered her at a party, and proceeded to attempt to take off her clothes. Kavanaugh says he “did not do this back in high school or at any time,” and firmly denies the allegations.

According to the National Sexual Violence Research Center, or NSVRC, 63% of sexual crimes and assaults go unreported. Out of the ones that are reported, only about 2%-10% are false, which means that for every 100 rapes reported to police, only a small fraction are actually false.

While the confirmation vote for Judge Kavanaugh was supposed to take place early Thursday, it has been pushed to Monday, September 24th in order to give Professor Ford the opportunity to testify against Kavanaugh in a court of law.

However, Professor Ford has refused to testify on that date. Debra Katz, Professor Ford’s lawyer, says that because Ford has “been receiving death threats,” and that “she and her family have been forced out of their home,” Ford wishes to testify at a later time when there are “terms that are fair and which ensure her safety.”

Ford wants the FBI involved and investigating her claims, which is another reason that she has not testified yet. She has been denied an investigation by the White House and other members of Congress as they claim that the results of an FBI investigation will not have any results on her testimony.

However, some other politicians disagree. “Judge Kavanaugh has not asked to have the FBI investigate these claims. Is that the reaction of an innocent person?” says New York Democrat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who supports Ford. “It is not.”

Yesterday 56 protestors, mostly women, were arrested during an anti-Kavanaugh protest in DC outside Capitol Hill. The nation is in an uproar, split down the middle on whether Kavanaugh is innocent or guilty.

Adding to the chaos of Kavanaugh’s nomination is former classmate Christina Miranda King. “This incident did happen… Many of us heard about it in school and Christine’s recollection should be more than enough for us to truly, deeply know that the accusation is true,” says King in a Facebook post.

However, when Ms. King was asked to testify she refused, saying that she had no first-hand information to add to the account and that she only heard about it. Ms. King then deleted her Facebook and deactivated her Twitter account. She has also denied requests for interviews.

Overall, the Kavanaugh debate is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately. While it is true that many women who are raped wait years before accusing perpetrators, there are so many contrasting and confusing components to this story that it must be worked out immediately. An accusation of sexual assault is not something to be taken lightly no matter who it is against (according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, 1 out of every 6 American women are the victims of attempted or completed rape at least once their life), but an accusation against a Supreme Court Nominee should take high priority.

Hopefully, by the end of next week, Ford will step forward to tell her story, and the nation will finally learn the truth.