President Donald Trump’s speech, directed toward pregnant individuals, addressed his administration finding a link between acetaminophen — colloquially referred to as Tylenol — and autism on Sept. 22. In his announcement, Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, stated that Tylenol should not be taken by pregnant women, as it can lead to the development of autism in their children, as well as giving the drug to children. However, the Trump administration’s stance has tentative evidence and contributes to harmful rhetoric about autism as well as women’s health.
Most women use Tylenol at some point during their pregnancies. Many other drugs have been proven to be harmful for various reasons. However, evidence to support Tylenol being linked to autism is hardly concrete. Varying studies show contradicting results, with studies that support Trump’s standpoint showing only an association between Tylenol and autism — not direct causation.
In addition to the dodgy evidence supporting the president’s claim, his diction reinforces harmful ideas about autistic individuals. Trump’s word choice consistently dehumanizes those with the condition, referring to the supposed rise in cases as “the crisis of autism” and “autism fever.” His claim that autism rates are rising fails to account for improvements in healthcare and understanding of the condition that have led to increased diagnoses.
Furthermore, constantly referring to autism as something that must be stopped, instead of focusing efforts to assist those who are autistic, dismisses a whole population of Americans and labels them as an inferior group with a condition that should be prevented, when they should be accepted for their differences.
In his announcement, Trump addressed pregnant women directly, saying that Tylenol should only be taken if “you feel you can’t tough it out.” For years, false rhetoric that women are dramatic about their pain has been far too prevalent. Their pain is too often dismissed, with little research being done to help them, as opposed to research regarding men’s health. Suggesting that a pain medication that is considered “safe” for women is now unacceptable to take due to weak evidence and saying that women should simply “tough it out” is outrageous.
Trump’s lack of knowledge on health issues is dangerous. A man who cannot even pronounce “acetaminophen” should not be telling women in pain that it will lead to “tragic” autism in their children. Instead, he should step aside and listen to the opinions of qualified medical professionals rather than relying on “experts” like Kennedy, who makes false claims on vaccines and COVID-19.
