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A Berkeley law professor has accused Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., of engaging in a “transphobic” line of questioning during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Hawley indulged in a heated debate with Prof. Khiara Bridges over who can get pregnant at the Senate hearing on the impact of Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion.
It began after Hawley asked if Bridges was referring to “women” when mentioning “people with a capacity for pregnancy,” reported New York Post.
“So this isn’t really a women’s rights issue?” Hawley asked at the hearing Tuesday, and Bridges double-downed, saying restricted abortion access affects women and other groups, acknowledging the nonbinary and trans community’s ability to give birth.
Sen. Hawley challenged Bridges’ choice of words and asked, “Your view, the core of this right is about what?” Bridges clapped back at the senator, saying his line of questioning was “transphobic” and could “open up trans people to violence.”
Bridges, an expert on race, class and reproductive rights, then cited studies that highlight the suicide attempt rate among the trans community.
Hawley intervened, “because of my line of questioning? So we can’t talk about it?” Bridges said the questions were “denying that trans people exist and pretending to not know that they exist.”
Hawley also replied in the negative when asked if he believed men are capable of pregnancy. Bridges called him out for adhering to his trans-exclusionary beliefs.
But the senator once again questioned how that could lead to violence. He then took a swipe at Bridges and asked, “Is this how you run your classroom? Are students allowed to question you, or are they also treated like this?”
The professor quickly responded, saying the senator should attend her class and he might “learn a lot.”
A video of Bridges and Hawley’s exchange has surfaced online and many people praised Bridges for her “masterclass testimony.”
“Professor Khiara Bridges took Josh Hawley’s ass to school. This is how you put hate in its place,” a Twitter user commented.
“It’s not hard to make Josh Hawley look stupid. But Professor Khiara Bridges puts on a masterclass here,” another person wrote.
“It’s the excellence, knowledge & truthtelling by Prof. Khiara Bridges for me. Her testimony is a masterclass. This is a must-watch,” Congresswoman Ayanna Presley wrote.
However, author Brigitte Gabriel tweeted in Hawley’s support. “Imagine paying $44,066 + room and board to be taught this nonsensical fake science,” read a part of her tweet.
Hawley, a possible frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, had come under fire previously for saying liberals were creating “idle men,” who spent all their time on video games and watching pornography.
Photo: POOL via AFP / Patrick Semansky
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