Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Thursday brushed off conservative criticism of her decision to publicly document her egg-freezing process, calling the backlash “pretty funny” and politically motivated.
In a 10-minute Instagram video marking the sixth day of the procedure, the progressive lawmaker and potential 2028 presidential contender said she found the uproar amusing. “I also find the freak out around it pretty funny as well. I’m not gonna lie,” she said.
She specifically called out a commentator who accused her of “peddling the dangerous lie that women can have it all.” Ocasio-Cortez countered that conservative ideology pushes women to “marry young and have lots of kids at a young age,” yet her personal choice is somehow “a threat to them.”
The tension has spilled into conservative circles. Political commentator Matt Walsh called her decision “totally backwards and ridiculous.” A senior White House official told Axios that the administration wants “to encourage more women and families to have children, period,” though the official acknowledged that Walsh’s messaging was “not helpful.”
The White House has previously supported expanding access to fertility treatments, but Ocasio-Cortez sees her public sharing as a direct response to the current political climate. In a Sunday appearance on ABC News’s “This Week,” she argued that the administration is “denying reproductive care to women across the country, from abortion rights to the ability to carry out a healthy pregnancy.” She added that leaders need to “have these conversations and share these processes.”
Not all conservatives joined the attack. Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, defended Ocasio-Cortez, writing online that if a woman wants to “preserve her right to have children,” that should be celebrated, not criticized.
Ocasio-Cortez has long been an advocate for women’s health, speaking out against the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022. She has also urged men to become more involved in abortion rights activism, noting that “for almost every woman that has gotten an abortion, there’s a man who has either been affected or liberated by that abortion too.”
Her egg-freezing videos have sparked a broader conversation about reproductive autonomy and political hypocrisy, especially as she continues to be a prominent figure in Democratic politics. With speculation about a potential White House bid looming, her willingness to share personal struggles may resonate with voters who value authenticity.
Still, the episode underscores the deep partisan divide over reproductive health, even when it involves fertility treatments that many conservatives claim to support. As Ocasio-Cortez put it, her choice is seen as a threat precisely because it challenges traditional expectations about women’s roles.
