Senate Hearing on Abortion Pills Sparks Controversy Over Biology
During a Senate committee hearing on abortion pill safety, a discussion between Republican senators and medical professionals attracted considerable attention. Notably, witnesses avoided straightforward answers about whether men can become pregnant, even while emphasizing the significance of adhering to scientific facts.
This exchange occurred within the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where Republican Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri questioned Dr. Nisha Verma, a physician invited by Democrats to advocate for the continued availability of abortion pills.
A video of this interaction quickly gained traction on social media.
senator josh @HawleyMO“Can men get pregnant too?”
Dr. Nisha Verma: “I’m not sure what the purpose of your question is.”
Hawley: “The goal is simply to establish biological reality…can men become pregnant?” pic.twitter.com/4egtfZrPgB
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 14, 2026
“Do you think men can get pregnant?” Hawley asked, pushing forward.
Earlier, Dr. Verma had been posed a similar question by another senator, Ashley Moody from Florida, but she chose not to delve deeper then. When Hawley continued pressing the issue, Verma expressed confusion about its intent.
“I hesitated because I wasn’t quite clear on where the conversation was heading,” she explained regarding her initial response to Moody.
Verma noted, “I treat patients across a spectrum of identities, including many women.” This was her way of gently sidestepping Hawley’s inquiry as he repeated it.
“Can men get pregnant?” Hawley reiterated.
Verma responded, “The reason I paused was that I really wasn’t sure what the purpose of your question was.” Nonetheless, Hawley persisted.
The senator underscored his point: “I think we should rely on scientific evidence rather than political views. So, can we confirm that men can become pregnant?”
“I focus on individuals with diverse identities,” Verma replied gradually. “I care for many women who can conceive.”
She trailed off, indicating a reluctance to pigeonhole the discussion into a binary view.
At one stage, Verma stated, “Science and evidence should direct our medical practices.” To this, Hawley countered, asking, “Does the scientific evidence indicate that men can get pregnant? Biological men—can they conceive?”
“In my opinion, questions of this nature often serve political agendas,” Verma answered cautiously.
Despite asking the same question multiple times, “Can men get pregnant?” Hawley met with avoidance each time. Dr. Verma suggested that the phrasing used by Hawley seemed biased, to which he responded firmly.
“It’s curious that we are discussing biology and female issues without clarity about who gets pregnant. Just to be clear, it’s women who bear children, not men. We’re here to assess the safety of abortion pills, which, according to the FDA, pose health risks in 11 percent of cases. Yet, you won’t simply acknowledge that biological men do not get pregnant. If you disagree with this fundamental point, it makes it hard for us to take your scientific claims seriously.”
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