A political cartoon depicting the assault of Lady Justice has gone viral in the wake of recent allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
A powerful political cartoon depicting the assault of Lady Justice has gone viral in the wake of recent allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The graphic image, seen here, shows her blindfolded and pinned down as her scales lie beside her, one hand covering her mouth — an explicit reference to how California professor Christine Blasey Ford described an alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh when they were both in high school in 1982. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-The Halifax Chronicle Herald, Bruce MacKinnon
The graphic image by Halifax-based Bruce MacKinnon shows her blindfolded and pinned down as her scales lie beside her, a man's hand covering her mouth — an explicit reference to how California professor Christine Blasey Ford described an alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh dating back to 1982.
Like many viewers over the past week, MacKinnon, a cartoonist for The Chronicle Herald, was gripped by Ford's televised testimony at the Senate Judiciary Committee, which culminated in a request for an FBI investigation and the delay of a Senate vote on Kavanaugh's confirmation.
MacKinnon says he was inspired to draw the cartoon because he believes the hearing was a "watershed moment" in how allegations of sexual abuse are treated in North America.
After the image went viral, many internet users commented that it was difficult to look at, with one person tweeting that the cartoon made her feel like she couldn't breathe.
MacKinnon says that in many ways, that was the point, and ignoring and turning away from such allegations won't make the problem go away.
