In today’s society, some people are reading more into “yes” or “no” questions than is required. When considering a yes or no question in some cases there is an appropriate time that yes or no gives a specific answer to the question, but in the case of a recent discussion between Senator Josh Hawley and Dr. Nisha Verma no was the correct answer. On January 14, 2026 during a U.S. Senate hearing Hawley and Verma discussed abortion pill safety to highlight conflicting views on gender, biology, and reproductive care. Through the discussion, Hawley asked a question that Verma found as politically-motivated and failed to answer directly. That question was, “can men get pregnant?” In today’s society people have become so prevalent in categorizing things as politically motivated rather than looking into factual evidence.
EHS student Lila DeJager (26) said, “I think that it’s really sad that society thinks that following factual evidence, especially regarding healthcare, has turned into something that’s political and that if you believe in scientifically proven facts, especially based on gender identity, that a male is biologically male and females are biologically female. In my opinion I feel that it’s sad that this topic is debatable.”
Dejager and Hawley’s opinions could be seen as very similar. In the discussion, Hawley addressed Verma with the question regarding men getting pregnant, as he didn’t understand her unwillingness to answer the question. Dr. Verma, responding to this follow up question said, “I hesitated there because I didn’t know where the conversation was going or what the goal was, I mean I do take care of patients with different identities, I take care of many women; I take care of people with different identities so that’s where I paused, I think I wasn’t sure where you were going with that.”
When reflecting on Verma’s response, it’s hard to see where she was seeing a disconnect within the question itself. Sen. Hawley’s goal with the question was to establish a biological fact and seek an answer from a woman who specializes with women’s reproductive systems. Women all over the world go to OBGYN’s to seek support for the reproductive system and receive health regarding pregnancies and other needs in that field. Having a doctor that fails to answer this question as someone who specializes in women’s health is concerning for the female population. When society goes to a doctor facts and science is the backbone of what patients hope their doctors are basing their action of care on. When society has individuals that dismiss the facts, it brings hesitation to not trust all healthcare providers.
In the hearing, Sen. Josh Hawley said, “There’s a difference between biological men and biological women. I just 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 had passed all of this; frankly, I can’t believe we’re still here talking about this.” Dr. Nisha Verma replied by saying, “I am a person of science and I’m also someone here to represent the complex experiences of my patients and I don’t think polarized language or questions serve that goal; I don’t think they serve the American people.”
In society, beliefs regarding gender identities have changed over time, which requires medical professionals to adjust how they are perceiving situations and following the facts. Women have the access to OBGYN’s for their safety and care; disregarding scientific evidence of biological facts can lead women to question the care they are receiving.
