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Who is Nisha Verma? Indian-origin doctor goes viral for her response to if 'men can get pregnant'
Dr Nisha Verma is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and complex family planning subspecialist.
An Indian-origin obstetrician and gynaecologist, Dr Nisha Verma, went viral for her response to whether men can become pregnant. She refused to give a direct answer to being asked “if men can get pregnant" first by Senator Ashley Moody and then by Senator Josh Hawley during a Senate hearing on abortion.
During the HELP Committee hearing titled "Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs," Hawley asked Verma, "Do you think men can get pregnant?" citing her response to the same question asked by Moody.
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Instead of a yes or no answer, Verma said, “I hesitated there… of how the conversation was going or what the goal was,” adding, “I do take care of patients with different identities.”
Hawley responded, “The goal is to establish a biological reality. This is about science and evidence. This is not a hypothetical question.”
Verma responded, “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, insisting on a clear answer.
He later added, "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."
Throughout the conversation, the senator kept asking, “Can men get pregnant?"
Elon Musk reacts:
The post prompted several responses, including one from billionaire Elon Musk. He said, “It’s absurd that this question is even asked.”
Who is Dr Nisha Verma?
She is a double board-certified OB/GYN. She is also a complex family planning subspecialist. During the hearing, she stressed that medical abortion is effective and safe.
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According to Academy Health, a non-partisan professional home for health services and policy research, she currently serves as the Senior Advisor for Reproductive Health Policy & Advocacy at ACOG. Verma is also the Adjunct Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine.
Born in North Carolina to Indian immigrant parents, she has an MD from the University of North Carolina and a degree in MPH from Emory University. In addition to her medical degrees, she also has a bachelor’s degree in biology and anthropology.
She completed her internship and residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, according to the medical institute’s website.
