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Nisha Verma sidesteps Hawley in viral abortion hearing
Verma is a family planning subspecialist and senior reproductive health policy adviser.
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Thu, 15, Jan 2026
- 00:18 EST
- 6
Indian-origin obstetrician-gynecologist, Nisha Verma (left) and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley (right). / AbortionDocs.org and X/@HawleyMO
Nisha Verma, an Indian-origin obstetrician-gynecologist, drew national attention during a Senate hearing on abortion pills after pushing back against repeated questioning from Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, describing his line of inquiry as polarizing as the exchange went viral online.
The exchange took place during a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing focused on the safety and regulation of medication abortion, particularly the use of mifepristone, the first drug in a two-pill abortion regimen. Lawmakers said the hearing was also meant to address concerns about coerced or unsafe use of abortion pills.
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During the session, Hawley repeatedly pressed Verma to give a yes-or-no answer to whether men can get pregnant. The question was first raised by Sen. Ashley Moody in the context of reports that some men had obtained abortion pills to pressure partners into ending pregnancies.
Verma responded indirectly, saying she treats “people with many identities” and emphasizing an inclusive approach to patient care. She questioned the intent behind the framing of the question and declined to give a binary answer.
“I’m not really sure what the goal of the question is,” Verma said.
Hawley replied that his aim was to “establish a biological reality,” adding that science and evidence should guide medicine rather than politics. When he continued to press for a direct response, Verma said the questioning itself was polarizing and again declined to answer yes or no.
Hawley countered that it was not polarizing to state that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such.
Verma is a complex family planning subspecialist and serves as senior adviser for reproductive health policy and advocacy at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. She is also an adjunct assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine and provides clinical care in Georgia and Maryland.
She has previously testified before Congress on the effects of abortion restrictions and currently holds a research grant examining the impact of Georgia’s six-week abortion ban on patients with high-risk pregnancies. Verma has also traveled nationwide to train physicians on evidence-based communication around abortion and has led efforts to support clinicians and health systems in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision.
The hearing came a day after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases involving state laws that restrict transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports, adding broader political context to the sharp exchange.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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