When most people think of a lawyer, the words “dishonest,” “arrogant,” “workaholic” and “heartless” may come to mind. In a stunning, stereotype-breaking move, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is seemingly trying to add “idiot” to that list.
Paxton initiated a doomed-to-fail lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue on Oct. 28 for advertising Tylenol to pregnant women in Texas. While Paxton claims to have Texans’ interests in mind, the lawsuit is pure political signaling.
Paxton’s lawsuit primarily alleges that Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue ignored and silenced research into Tylenol’s effects on early development and that Tylenol causes disorders, like Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder, in children when ingested during pregnancy. The lawsuit also claims that companies profited from selling Tylenol to pregnant women.
The suit references and follows a press release from the White House that suggests a link between Acetaminophen — the only active drug in Tylenol — and autism. Investing in maternal health is a much-needed change, but Paxton’s lawsuit only stokes more fear and uncertainty.
Tylenol is among the few over-the-counter drugs that have been safe for pregnant women to use. Developing research has continuously proven its safety. Where Paxton and the White House are confused is on the difference between causation and correlation. While there is a slight correlation between autism and Tylenol ingestion, that association disappears once other factors are taken into consideration. Paxton’s first source from the Food and Drug Administration reiterates this finding, contradicting every subsequent claim his lawsuit makes.
There is a correlation between autism and Tylenol in the same way there is a correlation between eating ice cream and drowning in a pool; another cause exists. For ice cream, it is the summer heat, and for pregnancy, factors like genetics and fever can drive neurodivergence. Anyone who has taken a basic statistics course in high school could have told Paxton that.
The lawsuit actively contradicts itself and is based on unfounded research; all that is left is an expensive slap in the face to pregnant women and a tall political flagpole for the attorney general to signal from.
Research into women’s healthcare, let alone pregnancy care, is staggeringly limited. Despite recent gains, women are still underrepresented in medical trials, and only 1% of healthcare research is invested in female-specific conditions. Women are constantly misdiagnosed and face barriers to treatment. During a stressful time like pregnancy, women do not need another scare to worry about; they need stability and healthcare, and this lawsuit is a disservice to all women.
Paxton is hunting political points. The attorney general’s news release about the lawsuit repeatedly salutes the White House. It references the “Make America Healthy Again” movement and credits President Donald Trump’s administration for highlighting new research, despite the blatantly false claims and misrepresentations.
So far, Trump has not endorsed Paxton or John Cornyn for the 2026 Texas Senate Republican primary. For Paxton, the endorsement will cost taxpayer dollars, science’s integrity and women’s trust. A state’s Attorney General is supposed to defend their citizens, not chase favors; a Texan is supposed to defy authority, not kneel to the man on Capitol Hill.
Whether Paxton has confused causation with correlation or built a hill so he can die on it, his lawsuit is nothing short of stupid. Hold him accountable in 2026, vote for anybody else.
