Following the tragic death of her mother, Naomi Judd, by suicide in April 2022, Ashley Judd is speaking out to advocate for family protection surrounding the death of a loved one.
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Judd wrote a candid essay titled, "Ashley Judd: The Right to Keep Private Pain Private," which ran in the New York Times this week and held nothing back as she plead for privacy. The 54-year-old shared her disgust and discomfort surrounding the Tennessee law that could allow detailed information included in Police reports surrounding her mothers death to transition from a private investigation to public record.
"My beloved mother, Naomi Judd, who had come to believe that her mental illness would only get worse, never better, took her own life that day,” she penned. “The trauma of discovering and then holding her laboring body haunts my nights.”
She continued, "As my family and I continue to mourn our loss, the rampant and cruel misinformation that has spread about her death, and about our relationships with her, stalks my days… The horror of it will only worsen if the details surrounding her death are disclosed by the Tennessee law that generally allows police reports, including family interviews, from closed investigations to be made public.”
Judd shared her family has filed a petition to keep the files surrounding Naomi’s death investigation private. She hopes not only will their request be granted, but leaders will make a permanent change so families that walk through similar tragedies in the future won’t have to carry the extra burden of excruciating details made public.
"I hope that leaders in Washington and in state capitals will provide some basic protections for those involved in the police response to mental health emergencies," she shared. "Those emergencies are tragedies, not grist for public spectacle."
Read Ashley’s full essay here.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 988.
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