A Senate committee hearing intended to cover the regulation of pharmaceuticals used in reproductive health took a sharp detour into a debate on biological definitions Wednesday, culminating in a tense exchange between Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) and a medical witness over the question of whether men can get pregnant.
The friction began during a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. Dr. Nisha Verma, a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, had just testified that legislative efforts to restrict abortion-inducing drugs were driven by political motivations rather than scientific data.
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Hawley seized on the comment to pivot the discussion toward biological fundamentals.
“Can men get pregnant?” the Missouri Republican asked.
Verma paused, responding, “I’m not really sure what the goal of the question is.”
“The goal is the truth and to establish a biological reality,” Hawley shot back. “So, can men get pregnant?”
The back-and-forth highlighted the widening linguistic and ideological gap in Washington regarding sex and gender. Under the Biden administration, federal agencies frequently utilized gender-neutral terms such as “birthing person” to include transgender men and nonbinary individuals in health guidance.
Conversely, President Donald Trump recently moved to codify strict definitions of “male” and “female” based on biological traits via an executive order signed shortly after his inauguration.
Verma declined to offer a yes-or-no answer, arguing that the query itself was designed to obscure medical nuance.
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“I also think yes and no questions like this are a political tool,” Verma said. When pressed further, she added, “I think you’re trying to reduce the complexity… I think you’re also conflating male and female.”
Hawley, pointing to Verma’s status as an expert witness, expressed frustration with her refusal to engage with the question on his terms.
“You’re a doctor who has been called by the other side as an expert who follows the science and evidence,” Hawley said. “This isn’t hard, doctor. Can men get pregnant? Yes or no?”
Verma maintained that she would be open to a conversation that was “not coming from a place that is trying to be polarizing.”
Hawley concluded the exchange by answering his own question.
“Biological men don’t get pregnant. There’s a difference between biological men and women,” he stated. “I don’t know how we can take you seriously and your claims to be a person of science if you won’t level with us on this basic issue.”
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