US President Donald Trump made headlines on Monday when he linked autism to childhood vaccinations and the use of Tylenol, a common pain medication, by pregnant women. Medical experts and organizations, including the American Medical Association, are deeply condemning this incendiary declaration. They reiterate that these claims are not supported by science and could negatively impact public health.
During a press conference, Trump boldly stated, “I want to say it like it is, don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it.” His comments are timely, given that even the Trump administration is grappling with complicated health politics, with the conversations that swirl around vaccine safety still deeply entrenched and widespread.
Public health advocates led by the American Public Health Association quickly criticized Trump’s assertions. They defended the lack of credible evidence in support of any connection between Tylenol and autism. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated, “The evidence remains inconsistent,” while Tarik Jašarević, a spokesperson for WHO, reiterated the effectiveness of vaccines in saving lives: “We know that vaccines do not cause autism. This is something that science has proven.”
It wasn’t just us, though – former officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) echoed our sentiments. Debra Houry mentioned, “As of three weeks ago, we hadn’t seen evidence that acetaminophen was linked with autism,” raising questions about the rapidity with which such claims were made public.
Aside from the WHO, a litany of other global health and medical organizations have joined in opposition to Trump’s statements. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists then joined forces with autism advocacy organizations. In concert, they powerfully rejected the baseless assertions. These organizations are warning that the fearmongering campaign against Tylenol may prevent pregnant women from pursuing important medical care.
Alison Singer, president and founder of the Autism Science Foundation, slammed Trump’s remarks as “anti-science.” She pointed out that there was no scientific or medical conference to validate his claims and stated, “Any association between Tylenol and autism is based on very limited, conflicting and inconsistent science.” Singer further highlighted the danger of misinformation: “The fearmongering will prevent women from accessing the appropriate care during pregnancy.”
Art Caplan, a bioethicist at New York University, referred to Trump’s press conference as “the saddest display of a lack of evidence, rumors, recycling old myths, lousy advice, outright lies, and dangerous advice I have ever witnessed by anyone in authority.” This sentiment reflects a growing concern among experts regarding the potential implications of elevating such unsubstantiated claims to a national platform.
Trump’s autism treatment plan would replace one type of folic acid with another. In his outline, Trump’s team suggests using leucovorin to mitigate the symptoms of autism. This recommendation has created a tidal wave of additional angst among the medical community. Singer noted that the administration’s claims have no basis in science and may confuse families who just want the facts.
Now the battle over what Trump said is flaring. Now, medical professionals are advising us not to fall prey to the harmful misinformation advocating for these unsubstantiated connections between medications and autism. The most pertinent study that she raised was a Swedish study that will be released in 2024. This latest study of 2.4 million births found no association between in utero exposure to acetaminophen and later diagnoses of autism or ADHD.