Republican congressman says it’s ‘insane’ that trans men can be pregnant
Randy Fine (Image: Getty Images)
Republican lawmakers repeatedly pressed medical school leaders over inclusive terms such as “pregnant people” during a US House hearing, with Florida congressman Randy Fine calling the idea of pregnant trans men “insane”.
The House Education and Workforce Committee held a session titled “Training Activists, Not Physicians: The Impact of DEI on Medical Schools”, questioning leaders from UCSF, UCLA and the University of Illinois.
Rep. Mary Miller challenged University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Chancellor Dr Sam Hawgood over inclusive language in teaching materials.
“UCSF’s classroom guide, titled ‘Framework for Gender and Sex Concepts in Teaching,’ advises against using the term ‘pregnant women,’” Miller said. “Instead, it says to use ‘pregnant people.’ Who are ‘pregnant people’ compared to pregnant women? Just curious.”
Hawgood replied: “So that is a part of a curriculum to help our students who are facing a wide diversity of patients. Of course, the vast majority of pregnancies are in women, and I have absolutely no problem with using the word ‘pregnant women.’ I use it myself.”
When Miller asked: “Has a non-biological woman ever had a baby?” Hawgood responded: “A transgender person can,” adding that UCSF cares for transgender patients.
Fine later pressed Hawgood on who can be pregnant besides women, saying: “Use your made-up language, who are the other people who can be pregnant in your kooky world view?” He went on: “A transgender woman, would be a man pretending to be a woman, so why won’t you even say the truth in your own screwed up view of the world that the other pregnancies are transgender men?
Hawgood ultimately answered: “I’m happy to say that. Transgender men,” prompting Fine to respond: “That is your view. Okay. That’s insane.”
Fine amplified the exchange in a 14 July post, writing on X: “Today in Congress I asked a simple question: Who else gets pregnant besides women? The witness said “transgender men.” I told him that’s insane because it is. Men CANNOT and will NEVER be able to get pregnant.”
Can trans men get pregnant?
Transgender men can get pregnant if they still have a uterus, ovaries and are ovulating. Planned Parenthood say that while taking testosterone may reduce a trans man’s ability to get pregnant, it should not be thought of as birth control.
A recent review called for urgent research into pregnancies in trans men, after finding they may face higher rates of miscarriage.
There have been a number of well-documented instances of trans men being pregnant, with Thomas Beatie among them. In 2008, he became the first documented legal male to give birth within a marriage to a woman.
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