During a US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on Wednesday, Senator Josh Hawley focused his inquiry on transgender issues rather than the scheduled topic of abortion medication. The Missouri Republican utilized his time to repeatedly challenge a witness on gender definitions, a tactic the outlet noted he has employed in previous reproductive healthcare sessions.
The friction centered on Dr. Nisha Verma, a physician providing care in Massachusetts and Georgia. According to Mother Jones, Hawley asked her "Can men get pregnant?" more than 10 times, persistently interrupting her responses.
Other witnesses included Dr. Monique Wubbenhorst and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. Mother Jones identified Wubbenhorst as a past supporter of anti-abortion testimony, while Murrill recently indicted a California practitioner for shipping abortion pills.
Prior to Hawley's turn, Florida Senator Ashley Moody initiated the topic. "Miss Verma, can men get pregnant?" she asked. The witness corrected her, stating, "Dr. Verma," according to Mother Jones. Moody repeated, "Dr. Verma, can men get pregnant?" After Verma paused, Moody directed the inquiry to other witnesses, who responded "no." Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) later remarked, "I think it's science-based, by the way, that men can't have babies."
When Hawley began, he referenced the earlier exchange. "Since you bring it up, why don't we start there," he said. "Dr. Verma, I wasn't sure I understood your answer to Sen. Moody a moment ago. Do you think that men can get pregnant?" Verma explained her hesitation: "I hesitated there because I wasn't sure where the conversation was going or what the goal was," she said, adding, "I mean I do take care of patients with different identities, I take care of many women, I take care of people with different identities."
"Well," Hawley responded, "the goal is the truth, so can men get pregnant?" Verma attempted to clarify, saying, "Again," and "the reason I pause there is I'm not really sure what the goal of the question is—" but Hawley interjected, stating, "the goal is just to establish a biological reality." The dialogue continued with interruptions. "I take care of people with many identities—" Verma began. "Can men get pregnant?" Hawley asked. "I take care of many women, I do take care of people that don't identify as women—" she replied. "Can men get pregnant?" he repeated.
Hawley stated during the interaction that he was "trying to test, frankly," Verma's "veracity as a medical professional and as a scientist" and noted, "I thought we were passed all of this, frankly." The committee also heard from Dr. Monique Wubbenhorst and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill. Mother Jones reported that Wubbenhorst has previously testified for anti-abortion initiatives, while Murrill indicted a California provider on felony charges related to mailing abortion pills.
The hearing, titled "Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs," saw Republicans frame abortion medication as dangerous, while Democrats argued the aim was to discredit science. Mother Jones cited National Library of Medicine documents confirming transgender men can get pregnant, though research is limited. A Rutgers University study found 44% of pregnant transgender men seek care outside traditional settings. Mifepristone has been approved by the US FDA for over 25 years.
Erin Hawley, the senator's wife, works for Alliance Defending Freedom and is a key figure in the legal pushback against abortion medication. The couple recently launched "The Love Life Initiative," supporting anti-abortion measures. In a 2022 hearing, Hawley told law professor Khiara Bridges he "wants to understand." "You've referred to people with a capacity for pregnancy. Would that be women?" he asked. "So," he later said, "this isn't really a women's rights issue."
Bridges replied, smiling: "we can recognize that this impacts women while also recognizing that it impacts other groups. Those things are not mutually exclusive, Senator Hawl"
The debate on gender equality has crossed the line into biological facts regarding pregnancy (Rubberball/Getty Images/Rubberball)
The senator continued his interruptions, stating he was "trying to test, frankly," her "veracity as a medical professional and as a scientist" and remarked, "I thought we were passed all of this, frankly."
While Republicans framed the hearing– titled "Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs,"– around safety concerns, Democrats argued it sought to discredit science. A widely used abortion pill Mifepristone has held FDA approval for 25 years and was deemed safe in a New York Times review of 100 studies.
