BUZZ
Key Takeaways
- During a congressional hearing on abortion pills, Emory University professor Dr. Nisha Verma avoided directly answering whether men can become pregnant, suggesting the question was a political tool by Sen. Josh Hawley.
- Hawley insisted the question aimed to establish biological reality, while Verma referred to the complexities of identities and accused him of oversimplifying the matter.
- The context of the hearing included ongoing debates about transgender participation in women’s sports and the interpretation of Title IX, with the Supreme Court hearing arguments on related cases.
An Emory University medical school professor refused to directly answer whether men can become pregnant when questioned by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley during a congressional hearing on abortion pills on Wednesday.
The professor also accused Hawley of purposely using the “polarizing” question as a “political tool,” according to viral online videos of the exchange.
“Can men get pregnant?” Sen. Hawley asked.
In response, Dr. Nisha Verma said, “I’m not really sure what the goal of the question is.”
Hawley said the goal of his question “is just to establish a biological reality” before posing it again.
Sidestepping the question, Verma said, “I take care of people with many identities.”
“I think yes-no questions like this are a political tool,” the professor said. She then accused Hawley of oversimplifying “a complex topic.”
Answering his own question, Hawley said, “For the record, it’s women who get pregnant, not men.”
“I don’t know how we can take you seriously and your claims to be a person of science if you won’t level on this basic issue,” the representative told the professor.
The hearing was on the safety of abortion pills like mifepristone before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
This exchange occurred one day after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case surrounding men’s participation in women’s sports.
The hearing Tuesday involved laws in West Virginia and Idaho that prohibit male athletes from competing in women’s sports in k-12 schools and colleges, The College Fix reported.
A majority of the justices appeared to be on the side of female athletes like former college competitors Riley Gaines and Macy Petty who say it’s unfair and harmful to allow transgender-identifying males compete in women’s sports.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Title IX will continue to be interpreted based on “biological reality” as she spoke on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the Daily Caller.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education has opened 18 new Title IX investigations into school districts, colleges, and education departments over policies that allow students to participate in athletics based on gender identity rather than biology, according to a Wednesday news release.
“In the same week that the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the future of Title IX, OCR is aggressively pursuing allegations of discrimination against women and girls by entities which reportedly allow males to compete in women’s sports. Time and again, the Trump Administration has made its position clear: violations of women’s rights, dignity, and fairness are unacceptable,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said.
“We will leave no stone unturned in these investigations to uphold women’s right to equal access in education programs—a fight that started over half a century ago and is far from finished,” she said.
