Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

AOC Gives Blistering Fact Check to GOP's Witness in Abortion Rights Hearing

AOC Gives Blistering Fact Check to GOP's Witness in Abortion Rights Hearing
C-SPAN

The state of Texas continues to face national outcry after the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation went into effect. Senate Bill 8, also misleadingly known as the "heartbeat bill," forbids abortions after six weeks—long before the fetal viability period, making it a blatant violation of Roe v. Wade.

S.B. 8 bans abortions after six weeks, before many even know they're pregnant. What's more, it allows anyone who aided or abetted a procedure after that time—from doctors who perform an abortion to Uber drivers who transport someone to a clinic—to be subject to criminal liability. The law offers up to a $10 thousand bounty to those who successfully report an illegal abortion.


This week, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing on the injustices of S.B. 8 and the broader attempts of Republican state legislatures to encroach on the bodily autonomy of anyone with a uterus.

Most memorably, three Democratic representatives—Barbara Lee of Texas, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and Cori Bush of Missouri—testified about their own abortions in an effort to emphasize the importance of an individual's—and not their governments—decide when and how they give birth.

Another notable moment came from firebrand progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

Earlier in the hearing, a Republican witness—Dr. Ingrid Skop, an anti-abortion OB/GYN—addressed the lack of exemptions for rape and incest in S.B. 8, as well as the six week time limit on legal abortion.

Skop falsely claimed:

"S.B. 8 gives enough time for a woman who knows she's been raped to determine that she is pregnant."

As her five minutes of questioning commenced, a visibly irritated Ocasio-Cortez, known colloquially as AOC, fact-checked Dr. Skop and shamed the Republican lawmakers on the committee, most of whom are cisgender men, for not knowing basic biology.

Watch below.

Ocasio-Cortez said:

"I need to correct and address an assertion that was made not too long ago, this idea, this myth that, first of all, that this law S.B. 8 provides ample time for a victim of abuse to seek abortion care. Because once again we're in a room of legislators who are attempting to legislate reproductive systems that they know nothing about. Six weeks pregnant—and it's shameful that this education needs to happen, because this conversation shouldn't even be held in a legislative body—six weeks pregnant is two weeks late for one's period. When you are raped, you don't always know what happened to you. And I speak about this as a survivor. You are in so much shock.

After noting the variety of conditions, both related and unrelated to sexual assault, that can delay a period, she continued:

"Unbelievable. Unbelievable that the Republican side would call a witness so irresponsible and hurtful to survivors across this country. Honestly. [Y]our constituents [deserve] an apology."

People widely agreed.




They praised the argument she laid out.


The conservative Supreme Court has refused to intervene in the enforcement of S.B. 8.

More from People/alexandria-ocasio-cortez

Barack Obama
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Obama Offers Iconic Reaction After He Accidentally Photobombed A Family's Photos In DC

If you try to take nice pictures in a scenic location, there will likely be people wandering through the background of your photos, because everyone else will also be enjoying the scenery.

In most cases, people try to time the shots between passersby or edit them out afterwards, but after a photoshoot in Washington D.C., one family will definitely not be editing out the accidental guest walking among the cherry blossoms and the Washington Monument.

Keep ReadingShow less
children sitting on floor in classroom
CDC on Unsplash

Historical 'Facts' People Learned In School That Are Actually Not True

The phrase "history is written by the victors" is a common saying. It's often attributed to Winston Churchill, although there's no proof he said those exact words.

It points out that those who win conflicts shape how those events are remembered, recorded, and taught to future generations, leading to biased historical accounts and warped perceptions.

Keep ReadingShow less

Modern 'Conveniences' That Actually Make Life Harder

Making life simpler...

That is always the goal, right?

Keep ReadingShow less
Person holding cigarette
Luiz Rogério Nunes/Unsplash

One Night Stands That Turned Into A Total Nightmare

Ahh, the trials and tribulations of dating life.

On the one hand, it could be exciting and very promising. On the other hand, it could be a total disaster.

Keep ReadingShow less
Person's eyes glowing in the sunlight
Photo by Marina Vitale on Unsplash

People Who Clinically Died And Came Back To Life Share Their Experiences

We've all heard the questions about what happens when we die, whether there is life after death, and whether we really will walk through a tunnel of white light or not to get there.

But people who have had a near-death experience, in that they were declared clinically dead and were then resuscitated, might have the answers we're looking for, and their answers are quite peaceful.

Keep ReadingShow less