After years of flummoxing Democrats by asking them to define “woman,” Republicans have unveiled another brain-teaser: “Can men get pregnant?”
Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, repeatedly posed the question to Dr. Nisha Verma, the Democratic minority’s expert witness during Wednesday’s hearing on the safety of the abortion pill before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
“Do you think men can get pregnant?” Mr. Hawley asked the doctor, a board-certified OB-GYN and fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health.
No answer was forthcoming. Dr. Verma replied that she cares for patients with “different identities,” apparently referring to transgender clients, adding that “I’m not really sure what the goal of the question is.”
“The goal is just to establish a biological reality,” Mr. Hawley said. “You just said a moment ago that science and evidence should control, not politics. So let’s just test that proposition. Can men get pregnant?”
The exchange went downhill from there. Dr. Verma sought to offer explanations rather than provide a yes-or-no answer, prompting Mr. Hawley to repeat the question a dozen times.
At one point, she argued that “yes-no questions like this are a political tool,” while Mr. Hawley disagreed.
“No. Yes-no questions are about the truth, doctor. Let’s not make a mockery of this proceeding. This is about science and evidence,” said Mr. Hawley. “I’m asking you: The United States Supreme Court just heard arguments yesterday at great length on this question. This is not a hypothetical question. This is not theoretical. It affects real people in their real lives.”
Dr. Verma accused him of trying to “reduce the complexity” of the situation, referring in all likelihood to male-identifying women who have the ability to get pregnant, but also want to be referred to as “men.”
Mr. Hawley argued that she had undermined her credibility as an expert medical witness.
“There’s a difference between biological men and biological women,” he said. “I don’t know how we can take you seriously and your claims to be a person of science if you won’t level with us on this basic issue. I thought we were past all of this, frankly. I can’t believe we’re still here talking about this.”
Doctor doesn’t know if men can get pregnant. That’s where we’re at. pic.twitter.com/HMV8x0ioOe
— XX-XY Athletics (@xx_xyathletics) January 14, 2026
She defended her credentials and took Mr. Hawley to task for his “polarizing” approach.
“I am a person of science and I’m also someone here who’s here to represent the complex experiences of my patients,” Dr. Verma said. “I don’t think polarized language or questions serve that goal. I don’t think they serve the American people.”
Mr. Hawley had the last word. “It is not polarizing to say that there is a scientific difference between men and women,” he said.
Dr. Verma also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine and was previously a fellow with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which has defended the safety of the two-pill abortion regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol.
The back-and-forth was reminiscent of an exchange during the 2022 Senate confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was asked to define the word “woman.”
She famously replied: “I’m not a biologist.” Her nomination was approved by the Senate.
• Mary McCue Bell contributed to this story.
