In May 2021, shortly after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez referred to herself as a Planned Parenthood baby because her mother relied on prenatal care from the organization, a fake quote ostensibly uttered by her about pregnancy lasting 18 months when having twins was recirculated on social media:
This is not a genuine quote from the New York congresswoman.
This fake quote has been circulating since at least 2018. While we've encountered several iterations of this meme, we've yet to see anyone note a time or place where this was allegedly said. We have also not been able to find this quote in an news articles, interviews, or through any reputable sources.
Furthermore, this quote has been attributed to other lawmakers.
On memegenerator.com, a website that allows people to make their own memes, this quote was attributed to British politician Diane Abbott. There's no evidence that Abbott said this either. This quote simply gets falsely attributed to politicians to make it seem as if they are expressing a factually inaccurate statement in order to make them look stupid. (The gestation period for twins is usually shorter at about 36 weeks, compared to 40 weeks for an average pregnancy.)
While fake quotes are often attributed to Ocasio-Cortez in an apparent attempt to make her look stupid, the congresswoman actually has an academic record that some — possibly those who are spreading these memes — may find surprising. While more than a dozen lawmakers do not have college degrees, Ocasio-Cortez is not one of them. The congresswoman graduated cum laude from Boston University in 2011.