At 36: The star of the American left has made a decision regarding her future
Almost six years after she shared that she was considering freezing her eggs, AOC revealed that she has decided to undergo the procedure. This personal step comes against the backdrop of an ongoing discussion she leads about the price women pay on the path to a career and family.
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC, revealed in a series of Instagram stories that she has decided to freeze her eggs. This personal step brings back to the agenda her previous statements about the difficulties young women face in balancing a career, relationships, and family planning.
This decision did not come out of nowhere. Back in 2020, at the age of 31, Ocasio-Cortez told "Vanity Fair" that she was debating the issue. "I'm sitting here thinking, do I freeze my eggs? Can I afford to do that?" she said at the time. She shared that she even spoke with her orthodontist about in vitro fertilization treatments to learn from her experience.
AOC explained then that for her, it is part of a broader conversation about the personal price women are required to pay while building their careers:
"It's important that we talk about it. Women have to make decisions that men simply don't have to make."
She pointed to Senator Tammy Duckworth, who in 2018 became the first American senator to give birth while in office, as an example of balancing a demanding public career with starting a family.
The topic also integrates with previous statements by Ocasio-Cortez about motherhood. In 2019, she spoke about the challenge of having children alongside a political career. That same year, she caused a stir when she discussed the climate crisis and suggested that young people are allowed to ask themselves: "Is it still ethical to bring children into this world?" in light of concerns regarding their future.
The revelation comes as the 36-year-old Ocasio-Cortez is at the center of growing speculation regarding her political future. In recent months, she has been mentioned as a potential candidate for a higher position in 2028, including a possible presidential run. When asked in May about her ambitions, she replied:
"My ambition is much bigger than that. My ambition is to change the country."
She added that while presidents and members of Congress come and go, workers' rights, a living wage, and women's rights remain her long-term goals.
The new stories close a personal circle for her. Almost six years after she asked publicly if she should freeze her eggs and if she could afford the procedure, AOC shares that she has finally chosen to undergo it, turning a private medical decision into part of the public discourse she conducts with her millions of followers.
