'Can men get pregnant?' US Senator’s heated exchange with Indian-origin doctor goes viral

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video of a senator and a senior doctor's exchange on whether or not men could get pregnant has gone viral. Dr Nisha Verma, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, stopped short of giving a clear yes or no answer to Josh Hawley's question.

Dr Verma appeared before the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions (HELP) Committee as part of a hearing on the safety of abortion pills. The exchange went viral when Senator Josh Hawley raised questions about an earlier interaction she had with Senator Ashley Moody.

Continuing Moody’s line of questioning, Hawley asked Verma, "Do you think men can get pregnant?"

Hawley posted a video of the exchange on X, saying, "SPOILER ALERT: Men cannot get pregnant."

SPOILER ALERT: Men cannot get pregnant pic.twitter.com/08JwHUlxIj

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 14, 2026

Dr Verma answered carefully, saying she was uncertain about the direction of the questioning by Moody and pointing out that her medical practice includes patients from diverse backgrounds and identities.

“I hesitated there… of how the conversation was going or what the goal was…I do take care of patients with different identities,” she said.

Hawley responded by asserting, “The goal is to establish a biological reality. This is about science and evidence. This is not a hypothetical question.”

To which Dr Verma replied, “Science and evidence should guide medicine. But I also think yes or no questions like this are political tools.”

“You are called by the other side 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.

“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,” he added.

Short clips from the hearing gained swift traction on social media, sparking widespread commentary. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk weighed in, saying, "It’s absurd that this question is even asked."

As per the health research organisation Academy Health, Dr Verma is a board-certified obstetrician-gynaecologist and complex family planning subspecialist. She is a Senior Advisor for Reproductive Health Policy & Advocacy at American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Dr Verma is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine and practices clinical care in Georgia and Maryland.