Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. announced Sunday that she is freezing her eggs, linking the decision to what she described as the Trump administration's policies on reproductive care.
She first revealed the news in a series of videos posted on Instagram. Hours later, Ocasio-Cortez appeared on ABC News' "This Week" with co-anchor Jonathan Karl, where she elaborated on her reasons.
"In 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's important for us as leaders to have these conversations and share these processes," Ocasio-Cortez said. She added that sharing her experience aimed to normalize the process for working women.
The egg-freezing process typically involves 10 to 12 days of hormone injections to stimulate egg maturation, followed by an outpatient procedure to retrieve the eggs. They are then preserved for potential future fertilization through in vitro fertilization.
Ocasio-Cortez showed herself administering an injection in her Instagram videos and said she planned to take her shots in the green room before her television interview. "I'm gonna have to take my shots in the green room before my interview," she said.
She said she wanted to show that women can manage demanding careers alongside personal medical decisions. "I want you all to see that, because women can do anything," Ocasio-Cortez said, describing the combination of injections and high-level interviews as "badass."
The congresswoman said she had been weighing the decision for some time and had been saving money for the procedure.
Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged a "political risk" in disclosing such a personal decision publicly. She said she plans to remain open about her experience and invited followers to submit questions about the process on her social media.
