A Senate hearing on the safety and regulation of abortion pills turned tense on Wednesday when Senator Josh Hawley repeatedly pressed Indian-origin obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Nisha Verma on whether men can become pregnant.
The exchange during the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee session went viral on social media.
The hearing was meant to focus on the safety of medication abortion using mifepristone, the first pill in a two-drug regimen, and concerns over coerced or unsafe use. Verma provides reproductive healthcare in Georgia and Massachusetts. She was called by Democratic members and questioned about whether biological men could become pregnant.
Senator Ashley Moody first asked the question in the context of men allegedly obtaining abortion pills to pressure partners. Verma replied indirectly, saying she treats “people with many identities,” and shifted the tone to a more inclusive approach to patient care. Senator Hawley pressed the question further.
"I'm not really sure what the goal of the question is," Verma said.
Hawley responded: "The goal is just to establish a biological reality. You said just a moment ago that science and evidence should control, not politics… Can men get pregnant?"
Verma described the line of questioning as “polarizing” but did not provide a yes-or-no answer. Hawley insisted: "It is not polarizing to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such; that is not polarizing. That is truth… For the record, it is women who get pregnant, not men."
The gender debate on men getting 'pregnant'
Sen. Josh Hawley: Do you think that men can get pregnant?
Dr. Nisha Verma: I'm not really sure what the goal of the question is.
Sen. Hawley: The goal is just to establish a biological reality. You said just a moment ago that science and evidence should control, not politics… So can men get pregnant? And you're a doctor of science. Evidence should guide medicine.
Dr. Verma: I hesitated there because I wasn't sure where the conversation was going or what the goal was… I take care of people with many identities.
Sen. Hawley: [pressing] Let me just remind you — you testified a moment ago that science and evidence should control, not politics. So can men get pregnant?
Dr. Verma: I also think yes/no questions like this are a political tool… [the line of questioning is] polarizing.Sen. Hawley: It is not polarizing to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such; that is not polarizing. That is truth… For the record, it is women who get pregnant, not men.
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