Elon Musk criticizes hormonal birth control

Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized hormonal birth control and was met with stories from women about their personal experiences on the pill. 

"Hormonal birth control makes you fat, doubles risk of depression & triples risk of suicide. This is the clear scientific consensus, but very few people seem to know it," Musk wrote Friday on X, formerly Twitter, citing a 2017 news article from Time about studies on hormonal birth control. 

The Time article discussed how an American Journal of Psychiatry study indicated women who take hormonal contraceptives have a three times higher risk of suicide than those who never took hormonal birth control. Another study in the article found that women on hormonal birth control have a 70% higher risk of depression. The article did not mention weight gain.

"I was placed on the pill at just 14 years old for acne. A few months later, I saw my first-ever therapist despite no prior history of depression," Babylon Bee contributor Ashley St. Clair said in response to Musk's post. "In retrospect, after being on birth control for nearly a decade, being placed on the pill for 'acne' was akin to killing a mouse with a rocket launcher."

Tammy Peterson, wife of psychologist Jordan Peterson, said: "I suffered from depression from the hormonal birth control. Elon is absolutely correct."

Others voiced their opposition to Musk's remarks. 

Brianna Wu, executive director of the progressive Rebellion PAC, said: "The right wing is coming for your birth control."

Follow Madeleine Hubbard on X or Instagram.