Sexual assault survivor Chessy Prout has thrown her support behind an amendment to New Hampshire’s constitution that would provide crime victims with rights equal to those of defendants.
“Victims of crime should have the right to the same basic protections as those who victimize them. No rapist should have more rights than their victim. I’m proud to stand with survivors in support of Marsy’s Law for New Hampshire,” Prout said in a statement Sunday.
The announcement was made in advance of Prout’s visit to Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, where she discussed her memoir, I Have the Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice, and Hope. The memoir chronicles Prout’s time at St. Paul’s School, where she was sexually assaulted as a freshman, as well as her advocacy work afterward.
Marsy’s Law, named in honor of murder victim Marsalee “Marsy” Nicholas, has received broad support statewide, including from prosecutors, members of law enforcement, firefighters, as well as from victims’ and women’s advocacy groups. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as well as leaders in the House and Senate have endorsed Marsy’s Law, a version of which has been passed in several other states. A total of 35 states provide some form of constitutional rights to victims.
If Marsy’s Law passes the full House next month, it will go before voters on the ballot in November. A two-thirds majority vote is needed for the measure to pass.