'Can Men Get Pregnant?': US Senator Leaves Indian-American Doctor Speechless At Abortion Hearing

A tense exchange unfolded between Republican US Senator Josh Hawley and Indian-American obstetrics-gynaecology (OB-GYN) Dr Nisha Verma during a HELP Committee hearing titled “Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs,” at the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Verma, a senior adviser to Physicians for Reproductive Health, was called on by the Senate committee for the hearing, where she spoke out against restrictions on abortion medication. “Medication abortion has been rigorously studied and proven safe and effective in over 100 high-quality peer-reviewed studies,” she told lawmakers.

Before Hawley addressed the hearing, Republican Senator Ashley Moody kicked off the topic by asking, “Miss Verma, can men get pregnant?” The

Indian-American ob-gyn corrected her by saying, “Dr Verma.”

Moody repeated, “Dr. Verma, can men get pregnant?” Verma hesitated to answer. Later in the hearing, Senator Bill Cassidy, who was chairing the committee, said, “I think it’s science-based, by the way, that men can’t have babies.”

Taking the mic, Hawley asked, “Since you bring it up, why don’t we start there. Dr Verma, I wasn’t sure I understood your answer to Senator Moody a moment ago. Do you think that men can get pregnant?”

Verma said she hesitated earlier because she did not understand the purpose of the question. “I do take care of patients with different identities, I take care of many women, I take care of people with different identities.”

“Well, the goal is the truth, so can men get pregnant?” Hawley asked again. Dr Verma said, “I’m not really sure what the goal of the question is -” before Hawley cut off her off and said the goal was to establish biological reality.

Hawley proceeded to repeatedly interrupt Dr Verma by asking her whether men can get pregnant. “I take care of people with many identities. I do take care of people that don’t identify as women,” she said, avoiding a simple yes or no.

Sen. Hawley: “Can men get pregnant?”

Dr. Nisha Verma: “I’m not really sure what the goal of the question is.”

Sen. Hawley: “The goal is just to establish a biological reality…Can men get pregnant?”

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— America (@america) January 14, 2026

Hawley insisted on a direct response, 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.” Dr Verma said such yes-and-no questions are political tools and he was trying to reduce the complexity of the issue.

The exchange became more tense as Hawley said, “These yes-and-no questions are about the truth. Let’s not make a mockery of this proceeding. This is about science and evidence… This is not a hypothetical question. It affects real people in their real lives.”

“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,” he added.

Verma still refused to give a direct answer, saying, “I would be more than happy to have a conversation with you that is not coming from the place of trying to be polarised.” After this, Hawley reaffirmed that there is only a biological male and a biological female, and only the female can get pregnant.

“I think it is extraordinary that we are in a hearing about science and about women. For the record, it’s the women who get pregnant and not men,” Hawley lashed out at the doctor. “You don’t even acknowledge the basic reality that biological men don’t get pregnant. There is a difference between biological men and biological women. I don’t know how we can take you seriously and your claims to be a person of science.”

Verma defended her approach, saying, “I’m a person of science, and I’m also here to represent the complex experiences of my patients. I don’t think polarised language or questions serve that goal.”

In response, Hawley said, “It is not polarising to say that there is a scientific difference between men and women. It is not polarising to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such. Your refusal to recognise women as women and men as men is deeply corrosive to science, to public trust and to constitutional protections for women.”

Moody later told Fox News, “The agenda-driven and radicalised Democrats will overlook not only scientific fact but the harsh and dangerous consequences of their mission to ensure there are absolutely no restrictions to abortion on demand.”