Right now, misinformation in the healthcare community is at an all-time high. Claims about autism and its causes are being stated by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, as well as President Donald Trump himself.
By definition, autism is a serious developmental disorder that impairs the ability to communicate and interact with others. There is a broad range of conditions, as autism is different for everyone. Currently, researchers are not sure what causes autism, but they believe that genetics and certain environmental factors play a role. This is where HHS Secretary Kennedy and Trump come in.
During a White House press conference, President Trump, RFK Jr, and other deputies of the FDA claimed that Tylenol use during pregnancy heightens the risk of autism in unborn children. This announcement comes after HHS Secretary Kennedy promised in April to have ‘some of the answers’ about the cause of autism by September, as reported by ABC back in April.
“If you’re pregnant, don’t take Tylenol, and don’t give it to the baby after the baby is born,” Trump said, standing next to Kennedy on Monday, retold by CBS.
Following this conference, FDA Commissioner Martin Makary released a letter to physicians about the use of Tylenol during pregnancy.
“To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established, and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature,” Makary announced in his notice.
Additionally, in a statement by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, Tylenol is one of the few medications women can take during pregnancy to reduce fever.
“Acetaminophen is one of the few options available to pregnant patients to treat pain and fever, which can be harmful to pregnant people when left untreated,” the college stated in their affirmation.
This isn’t the only affirmation made about autism by Secretary Kennedy. Again, back in April, Kennedy claimed that an ‘environmental toxin’ was to blame for the rapidly growing ‘epidemic’ of autism.
“This is part of an unrelenting upward trend,” Kennedy stated, reported by NPR. “Overall, autism is increasing in prevalence at an alarming rate.”
There is still a public dispute surrounding the causes of autism, but these claims aren’t speeding up research to find said answers. Statements like these cause discourse in the medical community and leave families questioning their doctors. Finding the cause of this disability takes time and resources. It is important that the information distributed is accurate and backed by reliable sources.