The best friend of President-elect Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk, wants to teach young people to “fear being childless.” Musk is expected to play a role in the government and could influence U.S. birth policy.
Elon Musk and Neuralink Shivon Zilis – Neuralink’s director of special projects – have 3 children together. Photo: @shivon/Instagram.
During a recent dinner party, Musk repeatedly mentioned his habit of donating sperm whenever possible — including a case where he allegedly provided sperm to a couple he had only met a few times in Silicon Valley, according to an October report by The New York Times.
Musk denied ever donating sperm to strangers. However, this seems to align with his personal interests. Musk has often stated that he wants people in developed countries to have more children, and he himself is the father of 12. The CEO of SpaceX, who has had three wives, has become one of the most prominent faces of the pro-natalist movement — a phenomenon that has parallels with eugenics and often carries misogynistic undertones.
Musk is entitled to his personal preferences. The concern arises from his close friendship with Donald Trump, who could give Musk a platform to bring pro-natalist ideology into public policy. Despite facing controversy over his potential role in the soon-to-be-formed Department of Political Efficiency, the billionaire is determined to push his agenda beyond merely funding Trump’s campaign. He aims to have a say in the sexual and reproductive lives of Americans.
On November 16, Musk responded to a post about declining birth rates on X (formerly Twitter): “Instead of teaching people to fear pregnancy, we should teach them to fear being childless.”
His remarks sparked heated debate. Many pointed out that, in the U.S., a woman dies every two minutes due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, with the rate rising steadily. Critics highlighted that Musk himself does not bear the physical risks of pregnancy and benefits from his immense wealth.
However, Musk reportedly became more sensitive to such issues after singer Grimes, the mother of three of his children, nearly died during the pregnancy of their son, X Æ A-12. For their next child, Musk and Grimes opted for a surrogate.
Elon Musk and his son took a photo with President-elect Donald Trump’s family. Photo: Tiffany Trump/X.
As the owner of X, what else does Musk want to tell young people to instill this “fear of childlessness”? Especially given that the economic realities of the U.S. force people to earn significant wealth to afford raising children. America also remains the only industrialized nation without a mandated parental leave policy.
Or is he trying to plant fear of the sleepless 5 a.m. mornings and listening to Frozen soundtracks on repeat with children? I love my kids (I even love Frozen soundtracks), but parenting is not for everyone. There are many ways to live a fulfilling life without raising kids.
What I’d like to say to Musk is this: being a sperm donor is vastly different from being a parent. While Musk parades his children around Mar-a-Lago (Florida), much of the heavy lifting is left to others.
Musk has six children under six years old, runs multiple major corporations, and spends much of his time on political networking. As a father, he cannot be entirely devoted. He is estranged from his transgender daughter Vivian Wilson, whom he has publicly referred to as “dead — killed by a mind virus” on at least two occasions.
Musk’s parenting skills are questionable, but the bigger concern is his obsession with reproduction and its connection to the upcoming administration. There are troubling signs that Musk wants to undermine reproductive rights, potentially ushering in a world where women are forced to have children. I would like to dismiss Musk, but reproductive rights are clearly under threat. He is attempting to meddle in women’s wombs.
