During a session on the legal repercussions of the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade on Tuesday, Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, was charged by a law professor with indulging in a line of transphobic questioning.
Some progressives have started using the term “pregnant people” instead of “women” to portray someone whose right to abortion they are trying to defend, in order to indicate that transgender men and non-binary people are also impacted by the Supreme Court’s decision, which overturned the 1973 court decision that had made access to abortion a nationwide constitutionally protected right.
“Many cis women have the capacity for pregnancy, many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy,” Bridges responded. “There are also trans men who are capable of pregnancy as well as non-binary people who are capable of pregnancy.” Seemingly unsatisfied with Bridges’ answer, Hawley asked her “your view, the core of this right is about what?” “I want to recognize that your line of questioning is transphobic, and it opens up trans people to violence,” Bridges responded.
“Wow. Are you saying that I’m opening up people to violence by asking whether or not women can have pregnancies,” Hawley asked her. Bridges, an academic expert on race, class and reproductive rights, noted that studies have shown one in five trans people have attempted suicide. Although most conservatives viewed this clip as more evidence of absurd left-wing beliefs, many left-wing supporters argued that Bridges actually got the best of the exchange. That sentiment continued with far-left media outlets that condemned the senator and praised Bridges.
“Professor schools Sen. Josh Hawley for his transphobic questions in abortion hearing” ran the headline from HuffPo. Salon also poked fun at the Missouri senator with its headline “‘You should join my class’: Law professor schools Josh Hawley over ‘transphobic’ line of questioning.” Hawley stopped the professor after she offered that statistic, interjecting: “Because of my line of questioning? So we can’t talk about it?”
Bridges again said Hawley’s questions were “denying that trans people exist and pretending not to know that they exist.”“Do you believe that men can get pregnant?” she pointedly asked the senator. “No, I don’t think men can get pregnant,” Hawley responded.“So you’re denying that trans people exist,” Bridges said, to which Hawley asked again “and that leads to violence?”
“Is this how you run your classroom, are students allowed to question you or are they also treated like this ..” Hawley said. “We have a good time in my class, you should join,” she said. “You would learn a lot.” Tuesday’s Senate hearing was focused on the legal consequences of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
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