Overview
- OB-GYN Dr. Nisha Verma, testifying as a Democratic witness and senior adviser to Physicians for Reproductive Health, declined to give a yes-or-no answer when asked by Sens. Ashley Moody and Josh Hawley if men can get pregnant.
- Hawley pressed for what he called a basic biological fact, stating for the record that women get pregnant and criticizing Verma’s refusal as undermining scientific credibility.
- The Senate HELP Committee session, titled “Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs,” was convened to scrutinize medication abortion, particularly mifepristone.
- Verma defended the drug’s safety record, citing extensive research and millions of uses since 2000, and called binary questions a political tool that ignores patient complexity.
- Video of the exchange drew millions of views and sharp reaction online and in right-leaning outlets, reframing coverage of the hearing as a clash over definitions rather than regulatory evidence.