Tylenol, a brand name for the over-the-counter pain reliever and fever reducer, acetaminophen, is currently under attack by the Trump Administration. Members of the Trump Administration, such as RFK Jr. and Trump himself, are claiming that the use of Tylenol during pregnancy is the cause of the increasing autism diagnoses. This claim is completely asinine on their part. There is not a single link between the use of Tylenol during pregnancy and the statistics of autism. Not only is the Trump Administration blaming Tylenol, but they are only blaming Tylenol. Tylenol is one of the many name brands for acetaminophen. If they really had a concern about the use of Tylenol during pregnancy for health reasons, then they wouldn’t have singled out the one company and not the many others.
Not only did the Trump Administration criticize the brand, but when attacking Tylenol, Trump couldn’t even pronounce acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol. This goes to show that the people who are uneducated on topics often just insert themselves into things that do not concern them. Not only can Trump not pronounce acetaminophen, but RFK Jr., who is the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and one of the main people supporting the Tylenol/ acetaminophen attack, has no background in health whatsoever. People who have no background in a topic should not make claims that will affect millions of people nationwide.
This false claim against acetaminophen will also harm pregnant women. According to Steven J. Fleischman, MD, MBA, FACOG, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): “Suggestions that acetaminophen use in pregnancy causes autism are not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients, including those who may need to rely on this beneficial medicine during pregnancy.” Tylenol/acetaminophen is one of the few medications that pregnant women are allowed to use during the 40 weeks that they are growing a child. Attacking Tylenol with false claims against autism will be incredibly hurtful to pregnant women.
These are not even all the problems that are wrong with the message the Trump Administration is sending. The Trump Administration is sending the message that having autism is wrong. There is an autism spectrum, and sometimes people are on the more extreme, but the majority of the time, people aren’t. I know many people with autism, and they are great people who contribute to society and function just as the average person would. There is nothing wrong with being autistic, even if a person is on the more extreme side of the spectrum.
Overall, the Trump Administration should not have made that comment or should not make any future comment on Tylenol use during pregnancy. It is harmful to many people and will not be beneficial to anyone. The message was reckless and should be addressed as a mistake and incorrect by more medical professionals.
