Elon Musk jumps into transgender debate, says prison for parent, doctor who 'sterilizes' a child

Billionaire Elon Musk stirred the pot on Twitter on Friday morning with his unfiltered thoughts on what should happen to parents and doctors who put children through transgender medical treatments. 

"Any parent or doctor who sterilizes a child before they are a consenting adult should go to prison for life," Musk tweeted. 

His declaration came in reply to libertarian commentator Josie Glabach, a.k.a. The Redheaded Libertarian, who had shared an MSNBC op-ed that criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis and Republicans across the nation are pushing for legislation that would ban transgender medical treatments for minors, including puberty blockers and sex-reassignment surgeries.

Musk's comments were cheered by Republican lawmakers who oppose permitting gender dysphoric children to undergo transgender medical procedures, which is considered best practice by major medical groups, including the American Medical Association, the Children's Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

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"Why is this a controversial statement?" asked Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

Populist firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., voiced her agreement with Musk. "That’s why I introduced the Protect Children’s Innocence Act that makes it a felony to perform gender-affirming care on children under the age of 18," she said. 

And Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, likened transgender care to "child abuse." 

"Parents and doctors who encourage hormone therapy and surgery are evil, period," Miller tweeted. "Common sense is no longer common." 

There is a national movement led by conservatives that argues hormone replacement therapy, puberty blockers and sex-reassignment surgeries to be unproven and potentially dangerous to children. At least 14 states have enacted bans on transgender medical treatments for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project. 

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Those who support legislation banning these treatments for children say gender-confused kids are being encouraged to make life-altering and permanent decisions before they are able to understand the consequences of doing so. 

Research suggests that regret among transgender individuals who have medically transformed their bodies is rare, but some who have detransitioned, like activist Chloe Cole, have gained prominence in the movement opposing so-called "gender-affirming care" for minors. 

Advocates for transgender people say that such care is life-saving because untreated trans youth face higher rates of depression and suicide. President Biden and his administration have called attempts to deny trans youth recommended medical care discriminatory and cruel. 

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Opponents counter that the U.S. is out of step with European countries, including Sweden, Finland and the U.K., which have found that the benefits of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones are low compared to the risks and have enacted strict eligibility requirements for minors to receive these treatments. 

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The number of transgender teens under 18 doubled between 2017 and 2020, from .7% to 1.4%, according to UCLA research. Released last June, the report, based on government health surveys, also found that just under 43% of the 1.6 million people who identify as transgender in the U.S. are between 13 and 25.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.