Many are sounding off after President Donald Trump suggested Monday that the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy can contribute to higher autism risks.
Psychologist and Boston University professor Helen Tager-Flusberg has been studying autism for nearly 50 years. She’s aware of the increasing autism rates, but feels announcements like these aren’t helpful.
“The use if acetaminophen during pregnancy has, if anything, declined during this period of time that the autism rates have been increasing,” said Tager-Flusberg, who is also the founder of the Coalition of Autism Sciences.
Tager-Flusberg wasn’t entirely surprised by the Trump administration’s announcement. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has always been vocal about his belief that vaccines can cause autism.
“today, they are focusing on the Tylenol link, because there is some evidence for an association — more evidence of an association, certainly, than vaccines, for which there really is the established science, the conclusive science, so-well studied, that they’re not related to autism,” said Tager-Flusberg.
But that potential association, she said, does not necessarily outweigh the benefits of using the pain medication if it’s needed.
“We want you to take Tylenol if you’re running a fever, because that fever itself, that may not be so great for your developing fetus,” she said.
President Trump said his administration is issuing a warning to doctors not to recommend acetaminophen for pregnant women, claiming it may be linked to autism in children.
“I don’t have a whole lot faith or regard for what RFK Jr. has to say,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said. “Massachusetts is going to work with other states, and I’m working with other governors, on how we support public health infrastructure.”
The Arc of Massachusetts, an organization supporting those with autism, released a statement saying the correlation between acetaminophen and autism has not been proven.
“We must ground decisions related to public health in sound science and evidence, not on rhetoric or opinions lacking the support of research,” said CEO Maura Sullivan.
Trump mentioned the Tylenol brand specifically during his afternoon announcement. Kenvue, the company that manufactures Tylenol, issued a statement disputing the government’s claims.
“We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” the company said. “We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers.”
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