Evelyn Yang reveals she was sexually assaulted by her doctor

SCREEN CAPTURE / CNN

Evelyn Yang, wife of presidential candidate Andrew Yang, was interviewed by CNN.

Andrew Yang's wife, Evelyn, says she was sexually assaulted by her OB-GYN in 2012 when she was pregnant with her first child.

Inspired by the support she and her husband has received when talking about their child's autism, she decided it was time she made the assault public in an exclusive interview with CNN Thursday (Jan. 16).

"Something about being on the trail and meeting people and seeing the difference that we've been making already has moved me to share my own story about it, about sexual assault," she told CNN.

"Everyone has their own MeToo story. It's far too prevalent," Yang continued. "But not everyone can tell their story. Not everyone has the audience or platform to tell their story, and I actually feel like I'm in this very privileged position to be able to do that."

In 2012 when she was pregnant with her first child, she found an obstetrician-gynecologist at Columbia University Medical Center.

After several visits, the doctor began asking her personal questions about her sex life with her husband. The line of questioning made her uncomfortable but because of his reputation and the difficulty of finding another reputable OB-GYN, she continued to go to the doctor. "The idea of changing doctors was overwhelming for me," said Yang.

SCREEN CAPTURE / CNN

Evelyn Yang with one of her son's.

In her final visit, as she was preparing to leave, the doctor said, "I think you might need a C-section," as he pulled her towards him, Yang relates to CNN, and began undressing her and continued the exam examining her internally with an ungloved hand.

"I knew it was wrong. I knew I was being assaulted," she continued her story.

"I just kind of froze like a deer in headlights, just frozen. I knew it was happening. I could feel it," she added. "I remember trying to fix my eyes on a spot on the wall and just trying to avoid seeing his face as he was assaulting me, just waiting for it to be over."

She didn't tell her husband or her family because she knew it would upset them. She blamed herself.

After she learned that the physician ended his practice, she learned that a woman had accused him of sexual misconduct.

She decided it was time she told her husband what had happened to her.

She hired a lawyer and filed a case against the doctor. That's when she found out that other women had filed complaints about the physician. The suit against the doctor ended in a plea deal where he lost his license and was found guilty of only two incidents and no jail time.

Yang's case was not among those to which he pleaded guilty. The verdict didn't satisfy the plaintiffs.

She and 31 other women filed a civil suit against the doctor and accused the university of being compliant, alleging that the school knew of the doctor's behavior but allowed him to continue his practice.

Both the school and the NY DA's Office expressed sympathy with the women but didn't comment any further on the pending case.

CNN reports that it wasn't until after the #MeToo movement, and the Weinstein case came out, that the women realized realized that they had been betrayed twice, said Yang; once by the doctor and again by the judicial system.

"It's like getting slapped in the face and punched in the gut," she said to CNN. "The DA's office is meant to protect us, is meant to serve justice, and there was no justice here."

"I'm extraordinarily proud of Evelyn for telling her story, and my heart breaks every time I think of what she had to experience. She is my best friend and the bravest woman I know," Andrew Yang told CNN. 

"No one deserves to be harmed and treated the way she and countless other women have been," he continued. "When victims of abuse come forward, they deserve our belief, support, and protection. I hope that Evelyn's story gives strength to those who have suffered and sends a clear message that our institutions must do more to protect and respond to women."

"My experience with the sexual assault and all that happened afterwards is such a powerful and upsetting example of the truth that women are living with every day. And I just happen to be able to have a platform to talk about it," Evelyn Yang said.

She realizes that through her husband's presidential campaign and the platform it provides, she has a voice that could make a difference -- both for other survivors of Hadden and for women who have dealt with this more broadly.

"I need to use that voice," she told CNN. "I feel like it's something that's an obligation but also a privilege and a gift that I get to share my story now and also help other women."