The Missouri Republican questioned Khiara Bridges at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the abortion restriction case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that led the Supreme Court to strike down Roe v. Wade last month. , The exchange began when Hawley said he wanted to “make one thing clear” and asked Bridges if she meant women when she used the phrase “persons capable of pregnancy.” Bridges said that “a lot of women, cis women, have the capacity for pregnancy. Many cis women do not have the capacity for pregnancy. There are also trans men who are able to get pregnant as well as non-binary people who are able to get pregnant.” Is abortion a “women’s right,” Hawley asked. Sen. Josh Hawley had a heated exchange with a Berkeley law professor over her use of the phrase “persons capable of pregnancy” during a Senate hearing on abortion.C-SPAN “We can recognize that this affects women, while we also recognize that it affects other groups, these things are not mutually exclusive, Senator Hawley,” said Bridges, who testified as an expert on race and reproductive rights. The senator then asked who she thought was the “core of that right.” “I want to acknowledge that your line of questioning is transphobic,” he replied. “It opens up trans people to violence by not recognizing them.” “Wow,” Hawley replied. Khiara Bridges accused Hawley of “denying that transgender people exist” at the hearing.AP Photo/Andrew Harnik “You say I’m going to make people violent by asking whether or not women are the people who can get pregnant,” he continued. Bridges then pointed out that one in five trans people have committed suicide, “so I think that’s important.” “Because of my line of questioning?” Howley asked. “So we can’t talk about it?” “Because we deny trans people exist and pretend we don’t know they exist…” he said as Hawley broke in. “I deny that there are transgender people asking you if you are talking about women who are pregnant?” he said. “Are you?” Bridge countered, adding: “So you think men can’t get pregnant?” “No, I don’t think men can get pregnant,” Hawley said. “Then you’re denying that trans people exist,” he said. “Thanks.” “And that leads to violence?” Howley asked. He went on to ask Bridges “this is how you run your classroom. Are students allowed to ask you questions?’ “We have a good time in my class. You have to participate,” he said.
