US congresswoman to share journey online as she criticizes Trump administration\u2019s attacks on reproductive care<\/p>\n
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has announced she is going to freeze her eggs and will be sharing the process online.<\/p>\n
The progressive New York congresswoman, 36, revealed her decision to undergo fertility treatment in a series of Instagram stories this weekend. \u201cThis is a choice that I am making to feel more in control of my life,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said.<\/p>\n
Ocasio-Cortez said she had been saving for the procedure for a very long time, and said there was not a lot of information for women interested in doing so.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs women in general, we are not taught about our bodies, we are not prepared for our own lives, whether that is in puberty, whether that is in pregnancy, whether that is in perimenopause, menopause, whether that is in so many different aspects of our lives,\u201d she said in one of the stories.<\/p>\n
Ocasio-Cortez recognized the balancing act that comes with undergoing fertility treatment with her work as a congresswoman. Ocasio-Cortez told viewers that she would be taking her shots in the dressing room before a scheduled ABC interview on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want you all to see that,\u201d Ocasio-Cortez said. \u201cBecause women can do anything. And I think it\u2019s badass that I\u2019m gonna be giving myself shots in the green room, get my glam on, roll out, talk international events, domestic policy, elections, pop out, live my life, do my thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ocasio-Cortez also showed the medicines and tools, such as syringes and alcohol wipes, used in the process, which involves injecting multiple forms of medication over a period of time that typically lasts around 10 days or more. She joked she would not be injecting herself on a live feed, quipping: \u201cMaybe I should start an ASMR egg-freezing channel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be weird about this, even I know though all of you will be,\u201d she said with a slight smile moments before finding an injection site on her abdomen.<\/p>\n
She exhaled, injected the medication, and then remarked: \u201cThat wasn\u2019t so bad!\u201d<\/p>\n
During her Sunday interview on ABC, Ocasio-Cortez discussed her decision further.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this political environment where this administration is denying reproductive care to women across the country, from abortion rights to the ability to carry out a healthy pregnancy, I think it\u2019s important for us as leaders to have these conversations and share these processes, especially for working women across the country and normalize them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Ocasio-Cortez\u2019s announcement drew praise.<\/p>\n
Amanda Litman, co-founder and president of Run for Something, a political action committee that supports young progressive candidates, said on X: \u201cI\u2019m just so grateful for her honesty & vulnerability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Xochitl Hinojosa, a Democratic strategist, responded to Litman\u2019s post by saying: \u201cTHIS. We don\u2019t talk about women freezing their eggs or what women have to go through to start a family. Thank you @AOC for your bravery.\u201d<\/p>\n