A tense discussion erupted on Wednesday during a HELP Committee hearing on the issue of protecting women and exposing the dangers of chemical abortion drugs. The hearing was taking place at the Dirksen Senate office building.
The discussion took place between Indian-American obstetrics-gynaecology (OB-GYN) and reproductive health advisor Dr Nisha Verma and senator Josh Hawley.
In the dialogue, Hawley asks Dr Verma a "simple" question: "Can men get pregnant?" However, what followed was not an uncomplicated yes or no answer but a series of indirect responses.
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'Political restrictions are causing harm'
Testifying before the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee, Dr Verma said that abortion medication has been studied extensively and used safely for decades. She warned that political restrictions are causing harm.
"Medication abortion has been studied thoroughly. It is safe and effective, according to over 100 high-quality peer-reviewed studies," she told lawmakers and added that more than 7.5 million people in the United States have used the drugs since their approval in 2000.
Hawley asked Dr Verma, a senior advisor to Physicians for Reproductive Health, "Can men get pregnant?"
In a seemingly hesitating manner, Dr Verma said she has been catering to a lot of people who don't identify as women.
However, Hawley insisted on a straightforward reply, stating, "The goal is to establish a biological reality. This is about science and evidence. I'm asking you. This is not a hypothetical question."
Avoiding answering the simple question with a very simple yes or no, Dr Verma said, "Science and evidence should guide medicine but I also think yes or no questions like this are political tools."
When Hawley insisted again and argued that the question is about the truth and biological reality, Dr Verma replied, "I'm trying to reduce the complexity of the question."
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"You are called by the other sites as an expert, and you are a doctor and you follow the science and evidence. Just want to know based on the evidence. Can men get pregnant? That's a yes or no question," Hawley said.
"I'm trying to test, frankly, your veracity as a medical professional and scientist, can men get pregnant?" he added.
Polarised question?
Ditching the straightforward answer over and over again, Dr Verma said that she would be happy to have a conversation with Hawley that is "not coming from the place of trying to be polarised".
Hawley responded, "It is not polarising to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such; that is not polarising. That is truth. Your refusal to recognise men as men and women as women is deeply corrosive to science, public trust and constitutional protection for women as women."
Senator amazed at Dr Verma's claims
The senator asserted that Dr Verma failed to acknowledge the most basic reality that it is women who get pregnant and not men. "I don't know how we can take you seriously and your claims to be a person of science," he said.
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"We are here about the safety of women. Science that shows abortion drug causes adverse health events in 11 per cent of cases. That is 22 times greater than the FDA label," Hawley added.
