Sen. Hawley debating Berkeley law professor over pregnant men blows up Twitter

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A heated exchange between Mon. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Berkeley Law professor Khiara Bridges over whether men can get pregnant drew strong reactions online from both sides of the political aisle.

The Republican senator’s Twitter account shared the clip from a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on abortion Tuesday.

In the clip, Hawley asked Bridges if she meant “women” after she repeatedly referred to “people with a capacity for pregnancy.” Bridges said that “trans men and non-binary people” were also capable of carrying pregnancies. The senator then asked Bridges if abortion was still a “women’s rights issue.” Bridges responded by saying that abortion affected women as well as other people.

HAWLEY, LAW PROF CLASH IN HEATED EXCHANGE OVER WHO CAN GET PREGNANT: ‘IS THIS HOW YOU RUN YOUR CLASSROOM?’

After Hawley asked her to explain whose rights were under attack in her view, the professor bristled at the question and accused the Republican of being “transphobic” and contributing to violence and suicide.

“I want to recognize that your line of questioning is transphobic, and it opens up trans people to violence by not recognizing them,” Bridges told Hawley.

University of California Berkeley Law professor Khiara Bridges said Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that abortion bans will harm "people with the capacity for pregnancy."

University of California Berkeley Law professor Khiara Bridges said Tuesday during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that abortion bans will harm “people with the capacity for pregnancy.”
(Senate Judiciary Committee)

“Wow, you’re saying that I’m opening up people to violence by asking whether or not women are the folks who can have pregnancies?” he asked. Bridges went on to quote a statistic about the high rate of suicides among transgender people as the pair continued to argue back and forth.

Many conservatives celebrated the clip as showing the absurdity of gender beliefs on the far left.

JOSH AND ERIN HAWLEY ON ‘FOX & FRIENDS’: ‘THE LEFT HAS REALLY TURNED ANTI-DEMOCRATIC’

Ryan T. Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, called the exchange “amazing.”

Journalist Miranda Devine also gave props to the senator.

Conservative radio host Jason Rantz said that this exchange showed why the left was “tanking in the polls,” while Newsweek opinion editor Josh Hammer said it exposed the left’s “woke insanity.”

Federalist Editor-in-Chief and Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway, meanwhile, satirized the professor’s response.

PRO-LIFE PREGNANCY CLINIC HIRED 24-HOUR SECURITY, SHUT DOWN MOBILE CLINIC, DIRECTOR SAYS IN SENATE HEARING

However, the viral exchange drew the opposite reaction from many on the left.

MSNBC hosts Mehdi Hasan and Democrat Rep.  Ayanna Pressley

MSNBC hosts Mehdi Hasan and Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley
(MSNBC)

MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan was so impressed by the professor he wondered why she didn’t run for office herself.

“Why is Professor Khiara Bridges not a United States Senator? Fantastic eloquent passionate informed stuff here,” he tweeted.

HuffPost reporter Alanna Vagianos praised the professor’s fiery response. “She was having none of it,” Vagianos tweeted.

Progressive Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., was similarly enthralled.

“It’s the excellence, knowledge & the truthtelling by Prof. Khiara Bridges for me. Her testimony is a masterclass. This is a must watch,” she said.

Several people on the left claimed the Republican “got owned” by the liberal law professor.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Related Posts