Full Breakdown
Congressional Hearing Challenges UC Medical Schools on Reproductive Terminology
7/15/2026, 9:04:04 PM
House Hearing on DEI and Reproductive Language
During a Tuesday session of the House Education and Workforce Committee, Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) questioned the leaders of two University of California medical schools about how their curricula address pregnancy and uterine anatomy. Miller asked UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood whether “non-biological women can have babies” and pressed UCLA Dean Steven Dubinett on whether “someone can have a uterus but not be a woman.” Both deans offered evasive answers, and Miller’s allotted time expired before a direct yes-or-no response was given.
Context of DEI Policies and Federal Directives
Miller framed her inquiry around President Donald Trump’s executive order to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from federally funded education. She cited UCSF’s “Framework for Gender and Sex Concepts in Teaching,” which advises using “pregnant people” instead of “pregnant women,” and a UCLA class disclaimer stating that language such as “she” and “women” is not intended to exclude “those who have a uterus but do not identify with these terms.” The discussion reflects broader partisan disputes over terminology adopted by federal health agencies during the Biden administration, including “pregnant people” and “chestfeeding.”
Responses from UC Medical Leaders
Hawgood explained that the terminology is part of a curriculum designed for students encountering a “wide diversity of patients,” while affirming that “the vast majority of pregnancies are in women” and that he personally uses “pregnant women.” Dubinett said the school is “treating transgender people, but we’re doing that in compliance with state and federal law,” and confirmed that the school “does teach biology.” Both leaders declined to provide a simple yes-or-no answer to Miller’s binary question.
Criticism and Political Opposition
Republican lawmakers portrayed the curriculum as “political ideology” that obscures “scientific truth.” Miller asserted that medical schools “should lose their accreditation” if they abandon factual biology. In a related Senate hearing, Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ashley Moody (R-FL) echoed similar concerns, with Hawley stating, “It is not polarizing to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “This hearing exposed that our medical schools have become consumed by political ideology that they're losing sight of reality.” — Rep. Mary Miller, R-IL
- “Of course, the vast majority of pregnancies are in women, and I have absolutely no problem with using the word ‘pregnant women,’” — Sam Hawgood, Chancellor, UCSF
- “We’re treating transgender people, but we’re doing that in compliance with state and federal law,” — Steven Dubinett, Dean, UCLA School of Medicine
- “It is not polarizing to say that women are a biological reality and should be treated and protected as such,” — Josh Hawley, Senator, R-MO
