Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk recently went on a misogynistic rant about birth control and the age at which he thinks women become “unattractive.” While most will laugh at how unhinged he is, it is sobering to recognize the insight his statements give into conservatives’ plans to attack birth control.
It should be easy to dismiss Kirk’s views, as surely no one is possibly listening to a 30-year-old man who believes witches are infiltrating the American justice system and openly admits he’s only attracted to women younger than him. However, Kirk has somehow arisen as one of the major representatives of the MAGA movement. Kirk’s views are so extreme that he has even been at odds with and threatened the Republican National Committee but he represents a growing faction of pro-Trump conservative extremists who tout very dangerous ideologies.
Kirk is the founder of Turning Point USA and CEO of Students for Trump, which specifically targets high school and college students and seeks to get an edge in the election by courting young voters for Trump. Needless to say, Kirk and his organization have become a considerable force in the pro-Trump movement. Now he is demonstrating conservatives’ plans to attack reproductive rights if Trump is elected into office.
Charlie Kirk goes on a rant against birth control
Kirk recently went viral on X after going on a misinformed rant about birth control. He stated, “Birth control really screws up female brains,” before going on to urge his followers to exert their control over the women in their lives who use contraception. He told them (falsely!), “Every single one of you needs to make sure that your loved ones are not on birth control. It increases depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation.”
Kirk even acknowledges that birth control is prescribed for a variety of reasons, such as to regulate painful periods or help with acne. However, he thinks it’s being overprescribed and that it’s creating “very angry and bitter young ladies and young women,” who then turn into Democrats.
It’s absurd that a non-medical professional male thinks he is an authority on birth control. However, it’s also frightening that a man with a large, volatile following is fearmongering and spreading conspiracy theories that birth control transforms women into angry Democrats.
It should go without saying that Kirk’s statements are complete and utter lies. The majority of women in the country utilize birth control without any adverse effects. While birth control can have side effects, it has been proven time and time again that serious side effects are rare and hormonal contraception is safe. Taking birth control is far safer than giving birth, with research suggesting contraceptives prevent several hundreds of thousands of maternal deaths from childbirth from occurring yearly.
However, Kirk isn’t concerned about birth control harming women. No, he’s concerned that it makes women less easily controlled. In the same speech he attacked birth control, Kirk also talked about how women older than 30 are no longer “at their prime” and are “unattractive.” Apparently, only women in their “early 20s” have any pull in the entire “dating pool.” Kirk got roasted for essentially saying that conservative men of any age range only want to date women in their early 20s.
It’s already absurd for any man to be trying to lead the conversation on birth control, but why is an openly misogynistic ageist man who can’t resist trying to tear down women and call them ugly every chance he gets actually being taken seriously by conservatives on the topic of birth control?
The reason is that he’s not just some unhinged rando spouting ridiculousness; he’s a major representative of the MAGA movement. Those views on birth control? They’re not just his views. Those are the views of a conservative faction that actually has a shot of getting into office.
There are still many Republicans who try to claim that conservative plans to attack birth control are just a conspiracy theory or fear-mongering, but they are not. We have already gotten to the point where major Trump allies are publicly demanding that men force the women in their lives to stop taking birth control. Conservatives have already succeeded in overturning Roe vs. Wade and bringing a case against abortion pills to the Supreme Court. They’re now attacking IVF and reports have arisen that their next plan of action is to severely restrict access to contraception.
The plan is already starting to go into action as prominent right-wing extremists, who openly hate women, begin spreading conspiracy theories about how birth control makes women evil and needs to be taken away to make it easier to control them.
(featured image: Justin Sullivan / Getty)
