CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky is being dragged online after tweeting “pregnant people,” instead of “women” in a reference to recommending that women who are pregnant get the COVID-19 vaccine. 

Walensky tweeted, “The rise in cases, vaccine hesitancy, and the increased risk of severe illness for pregnant people make vaccination against #COVID19 more urgent than ever. Read why @CDCgov recommends that pregnant people should be vaccinated against COVID-19.”

The rise in cases, vaccine hesitancy, and the increased risk of severe illness for pregnant people make vaccination against #COVID19 more urgent than ever. Read why @CDCgov recommends that pregnant people should be vaccinated against COVID-19. https://t.co/SAVvJS9Dgj pic.twitter.com/ufxzcLPy83

— Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH (@CDCDirector) August 11, 2021

The CDC stated on its website, “Although the overall risk of severe illness is low, pregnant and recently pregnant people are at an increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 when compared with non-pregnant people. Severe illness includes illness that requires hospitalization, intensive care, need for a ventilator or special equipment to breathe, or illness that results in death. Additionally, pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of preterm birth and might be at increased risk of other adverse pregnancy outcomes, compared with pregnant women without COVID-19.”

The phrase “pregnant people,” among others that nullify the specifically female role in childbirth has been the topic of contention after the Biden White House referred to “birthing people,” replacing the word “mothers” in their budget in an attempt to make their language more gender-neutral and inclusive.

Fox News’ Katie Pavlich took to Twitter saying, “The CDC wants us to take them very seriously as they perpetuate the biologically and scientifically false narrative that ‘people’ rather than women, can get pregnant.”

“Pregnant people.”

Reminder: The CDC wants you to follow the science. https://t.co/1TvcR3LvdD

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) August 12, 2021

Journalist Jim Treacher wrote, “’Pregnant people.’ They can’t say ‘women’ because science-deniers will yell at them, yet they want us to trust them.”

"Pregnant people." They can't say "women" because science-deniers will yell at them, yet they want us to trust them. https://t.co/Q12c5TPgfl

— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) August 12, 2021