On September 22, President Donald Trump announced that pregnant women should avoid taking Tylenol, claiming that it may cause autism. He stated this alongside recently appointed Health and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. These claims have sparked controversy, with many researchers and doctors refuting Trump’s statement.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, recent studies have suggested that taking acetaminophen, the medicine found in Tylenol, during pregnancy could increase the risk of neurological conditions, including autism and ADHD. They stated that physicians would be notified of the possible risks related to Tylenol as well. However, the FDA also acknowledged that many studies have not found a correlation, and therefore a concrete relationship between acetaminophen and risk of autism cannot be fully determined. The most widely agreed upon causes of autism in children are genetics, complications during pregnancy, advanced parental age and environmental factors, such as exposure to chemicals or pollution.
Acetaminophen is the only over-the-counter medication pregnant women are permitted to use to treat fevers. High fevers during pregnancy can introduce risks to both the baby and the mother. Most doctors agree that pregnant women should not take unneeded medication, but will still suggest Tylenol if it is necessary. President Trump’s advice for women to “tough it out” has angered physicians who are afraid the increase in anxiety surrounding acetaminophen may harm women who truly need it. Other opponents of the statement have criticized Trump’s wording as well, accusing him of being dismissive of women’s struggles.
Kennedy also announced that the FDA would be conducting a review of the abortion pill Mifeprestone. Many anti-abortion politicians and organizations were in favor of the drug being reevaluated. However, the FDA released a statement on September 30 announcing the pill was still approved. Anti-abortion politicians who largely gave their vote to the Trump administration for his restrictive abortion policies, including former Vice President Mike Pence, criticized the approval.
Some even questioned the effectiveness of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” campaign. After being named HHS Secretary, Kennedy’s key issues included investigating vaccines, reducing the amount of petroleum based color dyes, studying the causes of autism in children and reforming foods eligible under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Kennedy has been particularly concentrated on children’s health. He supported barring soda and candy from being covered by SNAP benefits due to concerns over childhood obesity. Kennedy received early criticism after canceling a significant amount of grants for universities and other health organizations. Many of the grants had been used for cancer and vaccine research.
On September 25, Democratic Representative Haley Stevens introduced articles of impeachment against Kennedy, citing his “reckless cuts, antiscience agenda, and health care chaos.” Republican officials have questioned the validity of Kennedy’s health advice. Senator and physician Bill Cassidy said in a post on X that while he supports Secretary Kennedy, he believes that it is irresponsible to leave women without any options for pain management during pregnancy without clear scientific evidence against them.