Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been mocked online after she used the term “menstruating person" while discussing the Texas Heartbeat Act which prohibits abortions after six weeks, during an interview with CNN’s "Anderson Cooper 360".
She said that the law was not about supporting life, but about controlling “women’s bodies” and “people who are not cisgender men".
"None of this is about supporting life. What this is about is controlling women’s bodies and controlling people who are not cisgender men. This is about making sure that someone like me as a woman or any menstruating person in this country cannot make decisions over their own body," she said.
Her peculiar choice of words prompted controversial reactions on Twitter as some found them somehow offensive.
Others went deeper and found mistakes in Ocasio-Cortez's words.
But some weren't in the least bit rattled by what she said.
The Democrat politician, who is a representative for New York's 14th congressional district, hit back claiming that "trans men & non-binary people can also menstruate."
The law, that came into force in Texas last week, in most cases prevents abortion after the fetal heartbeat can be heard - usually after about six weeks of pregnancy. The ban applies to all pregnancies - even those which are the result of rape or incest. In addition, the law allows anyone to sue violators, and awards $10,000 to plaintiffs in case of their success in court.