By The Daily Caller (Opinion) | Created at 2026-06-01 19:19:10 | Updated at 2026-06-08 04:21:10
6 days ago
Several female Democrats gathered in late May to complain about how much their periods hurt.
Democratic Arizona Rep. Yassamin Ansari was joined in a press conference held May 21 by Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Adelita Grijalva of Arizona to advocate for Ansari’s bill, the “Reproductive Healthcare Leave Act.” The bill would force employers to let women take paid leave for “reproductive health conditions.” (RELATED: ‘I Don’t Give A Sh*t’: Dem Rep Doubles Down On Calling Illegal Immigrants Her ‘Constituents’)
Ansari kicked things off: “Today, we are here to talk about women’s pain and how long it’s been overlooked … In the summer of 2015, while starting my career in New York City, I woke up on the floor of my local bodega, drenched in sweat, being dragged into an ambulance. Two male paramedics hovered over me and continued to ask me if I was pregnant. I had passed out from period pain. Even now, every month, I have days where it feels like barbed wire is tightening inside me. I’ve taken 2,000 mg of ibuprofen in 24 hours and still been in tears from the pain. Often end up on the bathroom floor in the fetal position, crying, moaning, or vomiting.”
“Women’s” pain? I was reliably assured that men, too, can menstruate.
As Republican Rhode Island state Rep. Marie Hopkins quipped: “Ladies, you can’t keep saying men can be women, but then also say that women are a special category. You’ve got to pick a lane. You’re very confusing to the rest of us.”
Ansari continued, patting herself on the back for going to work while enduring such extreme pain. I would suggest that Ansari is suffering from a health condition, rather than the typical demands of female biology.
Grijalva spoke next, emphasizing that Ansari’s bill was especially important for Latinos, whom she deemed the “backbone of our workforce.”
“We are done being gaslit in the exam room,” Grijalva said, adding, “Forcing a worker to choose between paying her rent or losing a day’s pay to recover from a grueling gynecological procedure is not a choice. It’s economic violence.”
Generally, when the word “violence” alone does not suffice, the speaker is not referring to violence.
Tlaib praised Ansari’s “vulnerability as a member of Congress to speak about her truth and her pain.” Speaking only for myself, “vulnerability” is not a praiseworthy quality in an elected representative.
Tlaib continued, saying, “We’re sick and tired of women … expected to say, ‘Suck it up,’ or still perform at the highest level. They are expected to show up to work despite … incredibly painful periods and sit through meetings after being denied competent health care.” (RELATED: ‘As A Muslima’: Rashida Tlaib Blows Gasket Over ‘Neo-Nazi’ DHS Post Of Man Riding Horse)
These female Democrats begin from the premise that women and men are biologically different in significant ways. They then argue, in essence, that female biology makes women unsuited to a 9-to-5.
Their solution is to force employers to carve out special accommodations for female employees.
This is a departure from early feminist rhetoric, which argued that women were exactly as capable as men, but had been institutionally denied access to working on oil rigs because men were afraid of girlpower, or something.
Frankly, I don’t care to hear about any public figure’s period, painful or otherwise. If Ansari is regularly incapacitated due to medical problems, perhaps she should pursue a less demanding career.
