Senator Elizabeth Warren was silenced during a debate concerning the nomination of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

During the hearing, Warren read the Coretta Scott King Letter, using it as a relevant example and saying, “Mr. Sessions has used the awesome power of his office to chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens in the district he now seeks to serve as a federal judge.”

The Republican senators charged Warren with violating the Senate’s rules against impunging another senator. With this charge, Warren was silenced from speaking at the session.

Warren has not backed down. Following the session, #LetLizSpeak was trending on Twitter and millions of people on Facebook watched as Warren read the letter outside of the Senate chamber. Some senators are calling for apologies toward Warren.

The senators should apologize to Warren. The Senate’s rule against impunging another senator is one that needs to be abolished. It is important that senators keep one another in check. As a major and important part of the U.S. government, the senate should be able to question the validity of what their peers are saying, in order to make the best decisions. Our nation is built on a system of checks and balances. Therefore, it is unfair that Warren was silenced from speaking. She was just making a point and trying to ensure that all the senators were speaking honestly and fairly.

It is important to hear all sides of an argument. To silence someone because people do not agree with what they say is unjust. Warren was making a valid point and it was unfair for her to be silenced in the middle of making that point. Americans have the right to the freedom of speech and a senator should not lose this right simply because they are at a meeting.

Our nation is already strongly divided with the basis of almost every news story slanted toward Democrats or Republicans. From this event, the Democrats have been given fuel to fire their attack against Republicans and are strengthening the divide between the two parties. This is one nation and we should not be seeking different ways to strengthen the divide.

Warren should not have been silenced and should be given an apology by the other senators, but the Democrats should not use this event to widen the gap between the two political parties. Instead use it as a wake-up call to become a stronger and more unified nation.