(WATCH) Lauren Boebert Repeatedly Asks US Health Chief Becerra If Men Can Get Pregnant (VIDEO)

Rep. Lauren Boebert and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra had a tense interaction late last week when she repeatedly challenged him to define a man and if males can get pregnant. The Colorado representative also questioned Becerra about his department’s choice to refer to pregnant women as “birthing persons,” calling it “unscientific and absurd.” Becerra answered, “I am all about inclusion, congresswoman.”

The video can be seen here:

A full transcript of the interaction: 

Boebert: “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Secretary Becerra. Thank you for being here today. I appreciate you coming before the committee. To start off as a Secretary of Health and Human Services, can you define for this committee what is a man?”

Becerra: “You’re looking at one.”

Boebert: “Great. So you are a man. I like that. Can you tell me, can men get pregnant?”

Becerra: “Unless you know something I don’t, I think the answer is pretty obvious.”

Boebert: “What is that answer, sir?”

Becerra: “I’m asking you, is there something you know that I don’t know that would say that a man can get pregnant?”

Boebert: “Well, I’m asking what you know. Can men get pregnant?”

Becerra: “I’m not aware of it.”

Boebert: “Okay. Well, Mr. Secretary, materials coming from your department you’ve referred to mothers as as ‘birthing persons’, replacing that title with -“

Beberra: “Are mothers not persons?”

Boebert: “Mothers are persons, but it seems to be more inclusive, like you’re trying to include another gender in that.”

Becerra: “I’m all about inclusion, Congresswoman.”

Boebert: “There you go. So, well, you know, just as a mother of four boys, I’m not necessarily offended at that. I am a person, but it’s just unscientific and absurd.”

Becerra: “How so?”

Boebert: “To include men in that if you’re going to be inclusive, if you’re going to be inclusive in birthing persons. Yes.”

Becerra: “But it seems to me that you’re trying to define -“

Boebert: “Let’s back up. Reclaiming my time. Can men get pregnant? Then we don’t need to include them in this. Mothers are mothers. Moving forward, Mr. Secretary, I want to read for you from a document from your office, the Office of Population Affairs. It says in here and I quote, “Gender affirming care encompasses many facets of health care needs and support.”

Boebert: “‘It has been shown to increase positive outcomes for transgender and non-binary children.’ Mr. Secretary, what is a transgender child?”

Becerra: “A child in America is a child in America. And I hope you and I can love that child just as much as we love our own children.”

Boebert: “Can you define what a transgender child is?”

Becerra: “A, that’s a child in America, and it’s American citizen child who needs the services and love just the way any other child does.”

Boebert: “Mr. Secretary, do you believe that a child is capable of making life altering decisions to maim themselves?”

Becerra: “So let me let me just say to you that I don’t agree with your premise, but what I will say to you is children know much about themselves, and with the help of their -“

Boebert: “Do you believe that children are capable of making the decision to self mutilate?”

Becerra: “Again, I don’t necessarily accept the premise of your question.”

Boebert: “Mr. Secretary, I mean, you have gender affirming care for young people. And so this is something that you have looked over.”

Becerra: “I don’t equate gender affirming care to mutilation. So if that’s where you’re going, then you’re not going to get the answer you want.”

Boebert: “So, Mr. Mr. Secretary, here, can you, can you tell me if there have been items mastectomies, penectomiesm or hysterectomies on children?”

Becerra: “Well, I, I-“

Boebert: “And have taxpayers funded that?”

Becerra: “So I could probably use the help of my wife, who’s an OB-GYN. You could talk to her. Or maybe Dr. Burgess that could help us out here.”

Boebert: “For gender affirming care to be included in that?”

Becerra: “I’m sorry, what was the question one more time, please?”

Boebert: “In this gender affirming care, Mr. Secretary, have there been tax dollars put forward to fund mastectomies, penectomies and hysterectomies for sex reassignment purposes for minors with gender dysphoria?”

Becerra: “So Americans are entitled to receive health care services. If they are entitled to receive any of the services that you just mentioned, then it would be against the law for us to try to deny them that care.”

Boebert: “So for the record, you favor HHS funding being able for sex reassignment for surgeries on minors?”

Becerra: “I will do everything I can to defend any American, including children, whether or not they fit the categories you have mentioned or not. And if they talk about gender affirming care, I am there to protect the rights of any American.”

Boebert: “Mr. Secretary, I want to turn to a different document. Your office released this “gender affirming care is trauma informed care.” In this document, you clearly state that gender affirming care includes puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries for minor children. You go on to assure that parents, to assure parents that there is no scientifically sound reason to doubt hormones and surgeries are helpful to minor children.”

Boebert: “You also discuss this in a document, that the potential for removing children from their parents is on the table if they’re not providing gender affirming care. Mr. Secretary, do you think that parents who believe in two genders only should have their children removed from them?”

Speaker 3: “Secretary, Mr. Secretary, you can answer or respond in writing. Her..”

Becerra: “Time has expired. I can respond very quickly. Congresswoman, I believe in supporting and protecting transgender youth. I believe that they, along with their parents and their caregivers, will make the best decisions. And I would really urge that politicians like you stay out of their business.”

Boebert: “I would urge that children get to stay with their parents.”

Speaker 3: “Gentlewoman’s time has expired.”

Boebert: “The committee will – Mr. Chairman, may I please have unanimous consent?”

Speaker 3: “No, you can’t. No, you may not. We’re in a very tight time frame.”

Boebert: “To enter this into the Congressional record?”

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