Larry Nassar’s Lack of Empathy Cost Him 40-175 Years

By: Valerie Gonzalez

Rachel Denhollander February 5th, 2018. (Credit: christianitytoday.com)

Larry Nassar was the USA Gymnastics national team doctor and an osteopathic physician at Michigan State University. The doctor was sentenced on February 5th of 2018 for criminal sexual assault and child pornography.
It all started with a victim accusing Nassar for assault in September of 2016, which opened the path for dozens of women to accuse Nassar along the years.
This was a part of the beginning of the viral #MeTooMovement.

#MeToo went viral in 2017 by all the women getting together after the Gymnastics team and many activists brought it back from 2006, as a movement against sexual harassment to show the magnitude of the problem.
Nassar’s accusers are Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Jamie Dantzscher, Rachel Denhollander, and many more.
When it all exploded and the U.S. Olympic Committee fell apart, the sponsors left, and all the girls got was support from some of the trainers and official speakers of the team the senate decided to “call the resignation of Simon” (Debbie Stabenow and Garry Peters).
Not being enough, the victims were asked to state detailed scenarios when they were abused by Nassar and asked who they have told and why they haven’t addressed the problem earlier, but they have, we all have.
Victim Denhollander described her Doctor’s appointment with Nassar: “He did this with my own mother in the room, carefully and perfectly obstructing her view, ” Denhollander addressed many complains made along the years that were ignored, starting from 1997 to 2017, nevertheless Denhollander stated other harassments ignored by the state such as the 2000’s where both the softball team and volleyball team decided to complain about Nassar.
Then, Denhollander proceeds to refer to her teammates and classmates that have been through Nassar’s abuse, that none of them reported the abuse properly, although the girls and women abused shouldn’t have to fill an entire report when there have been so many statements referring the same issue with the same person.
When Denhollander finished her statement against Nassar, the judge referred to her as one of strongest woman she has had in a case.
Denhollander was just the first victim to state against Nassar, giving strength to all the other victims, after couple days of statements, tears and families in pain Judge Aquilina decides to let Nassar speak.
Nassar’s statement begins with an apology acknowledging his mistakes:”There are no words that can describe the depth and breadth of how sorry I am for what has occurred,” Nassar said.

“An acceptable apology to all of you is impossible to write and convey. I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days,” but Judge Aquila decided to interrupt to read an statement from a letter Nassar wrote a week prior the court day in which he expressed very different feelings towards each of his victims.
In the letter, Nassar complained about the length of his sentencing hearing, maintained that his touching of patients was legitimate medical therapy and termed some of the alleged victims’ accounts.
Then, Nassar proceeded to demand less sentencing and he directs his eyes to the Judge to state the following: “What I did in the state cases was medical, not sexual, but because of the porn I lost all credibility. So I’m trying to avoid a trial to save the stress to my community, my family…yet look what’s happening. It’s wrong. I was a good doctor, because my treatments worked and those patients that are now speaking out were the same ones that praised and came back over and over. The media convinced them that it was wrong and bad.”

The letter “tells me you still don’t get it,” Aquilina said.
After 30 minutes of Judge Aquila reading out loud Nassar’s sentencing and she finishes with “I’ve just signed your death warrant.”