Trump administration suggests Tylenol during pregnancy causes autism, despite lack of clear proof

(The Hill) – President Donald Trump suggests that the use of Tylenol during pregnancy may contribute to rising autism rates in the U.S., a potential link experts have studied and say is unproven. 

Speaking Monday from the White House, the president said women should not take acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, “during the entire pregnancy.” He also raised unfounded concerns about vaccines.

“All pregnant women should talk to their doctors for more information about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant. So ideally, you don’t take it at all, but if you have to, you can’t tough it out … probably, you’re going to end up doing it,” Trump said.  

The Trump administration has been under immense pressure from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s diverse Make America Healthy Again movement to provide answers on the causes of the marked increase in autism cases in the U.S. in recent years.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said in a statement before the announcement that “acetaminophen remains a safe, trusted option for pain relief during pregnancy.” 

“Despite recent unfounded claims, there’s no clear evidence linking prudent use to issues with fetal development,” it added.

Trump and Kennedy have publicly made statements linking autism to vaccines and other medicines despite a lack of research to support their claims.

“So 30 years ago, we had, I’ve heard numbers of like one in 200,000, one in 100,000,” Trump, the then president-elect, told reporters at a press conference in December. 

“And now I’m hearing numbers of one in 100. So something’s wrong. There’s something wrong. And we’re going to find out about it,” he added. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced last Thursday the agency would be funding a study on the idea that vaccines cause autism.

The research comes as multiple top CDC officials resigned from the agency citing a “weaponization of public health” as Kennedy and others have worked to alter the vaccine schedule for school aged children, pregnant women and senior adults.

Kennedy for years has promoted debunked theories that vaccines could be responsible for rising rates of autism, which affects 1 in 31 U.S. children today, according to the CDC. Scientists, doctors and researchers have attributed that increase instead to greater awareness of the disorder and the newer, wide-ranging “spectrum” used to issue diagnoses for people with milder expressions of autism. It’s hard to tell if there may be additional factors behind the increase.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.