Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York posted a series of video clips on social media Saturday night saying that she would freeze her eggs despite what she called a “political risk” for sharing her decision.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, 36, a Democrat who represents parts of Queens and the Bronx, made the announcement hours before saying in a TV interview Sunday that she is open to running for president or the Senate.
“There is very strangely a political risk, or a political tax, that comes with sharing this info,” she said of her decision to freeze her eggs. “Per usual, that doesn’t influence my ultimate decision.” She added that she had shared the information “to show more depictions of women having full lives in every context and every choice.” The announcement further fueled speculation on social media that she is gearing up for a presidential run.
Asked on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday morning if she would consider a White House bid, she said, “I haven’t ruled out the possibility,” adding that she was “humbled” by the support she is receiving.
She also suggested she would consider running for the Senate seat held by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, telling host Jonathan Karl that “anything is possible at this juncture.” But, she added, “I think that we have a responsibility to remain focused on the midterms and not on our individual aspirations or plans.”
Her interview Sunday — her first appearance on a major Sunday news show since 2024 — marked her most public suggestion yet of aspirations for higher office. First elected in 2018, she rapidly became a top voice in her party’s ascendant progressive wing.
While Ms. Ocasio-Cortez identifies as a democratic socialist, she distanced herself in the interview from some of the more radical positions adopted by the Democratic Socialists of America at a recent national convention. Asked if she supports all of the tenets of the group’s new guiding document, including abolishing the Senate, police and prisons, she said no.
The comments reflected the somewhat tricky position Ms. Ocasio-Cortez finds herself in this year. She has adopted a less confrontational style in her years in Congress, and in some ways, she is more moderate now than the progressive base that propelled her into office. Yet she still needs that base as she eyes her political future.
Asked if she believed the D.S.A.’s more agenda would “doom” Democrats, she said, “The idea that there’s a diversity of thought in America among everyday voting people is a fundamental fact of our country. I don’t think that we should be worried about what somebody somewhere believes.”
Egg freezing can be a lengthy, expensive process that is not always covered by health insurance. It requires women to inject two to three hormone medications every day for roughly 10 days, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Women must also have at least four pelvic ultrasounds and frequent bloodwork panels. When the eggs mature, women undergo surgery to retrieve them.
On social media, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez described her ability to make the decision to freeze her eggs as a “very privileged position.”
“And it’s also a result of I think changes in technology that have made it more financially accessible,” she added.
In her interview with ABC News on Sunday morning the congresswoman elaborated on her announcement, calling it “badass that I’m going to be giving myself shots in the green room.”
“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,” she said.
As of noon on Sunday, neither President Trump nor any of her colleagues in Congress had responded to her announcement on social media.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who supports abortion rights, has been vocal regarding her stance on reproductive rights. In July 2022, the House of Representatives passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill she sponsored to codify abortion rights into federal law after the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and several other members of Congress were arrested the same month at an abortion rights rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington.
In one of the videos she posted on Saturday, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said that, unlike men, women in the workplace faced questions about when, or if, they will have children.
“This is just not something that men deal with,” she continued. “Men run for office, or frankly they interview for jobs. And people don’t think in the back of their minds, OK, this guy’s running for office, how old is he, oh, well, is he going to want to start a family?”
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