In a hyped-up announcement on Monday, Sept. 22, President Donald Trump warned about the “dangers” of taking Tylenol, also known by its generic name, acetaminophen, as he steadfastly said he believes the drug is a cause of autism in children.
The Food and Drug Administration indicated there could be an association, but that ultimately the decision to prescribe the pain reliever or not is in the hands of doctors.
The FDA’s exact words on the matter were, “To be clear, while an association between acetaminophen and autism has been described in many studies, a causal relationship has not been established and there are contrary studies in the scientific literature.”
During the announcement, Trump also placed the blame on vaccines. Attributing higher rates of autism to vaccines, especially the COVID-19 vaccine, has been a stance the far-right has been heavily advocating for in the past couple of years. Operation Warp Speed, which is described by the U.S. Government Accountability Office as “a federal effort that supported multiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates to speed up development,” was originally put forth by the Trump administration. Of course, these beliefs have no scientific basis and exist merely to scare people into not getting vaccinated and to instead rely on natural remedies.
While the far-right has never been quiet about its opinions regarding autism, Trump’s remarks run the risk of making life harder for an already discriminated against minority here in America. His stance doesn’t come as much of a surprise, though, given the recent anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ movements emboldened by the death of Charlie Kirk.
Linking vaccines and acetaminophen to autism is a convenient way for Trump to advocate for far-right beliefs. By spreading the lie that vaccines cause autism, he encourages his supporters and everyone watching not to get vaccinated. By spreading the lie that trans people were at fault for Charlie Kirk’s death, he encourages his supporters to join the anti-trans movement.
Additionally, according to BBC News, “Health officials in the UK have stressed that paracetamol [Tylenol] remains the safest painkiller available to pregnant women.”
Trump also made unfounded claims that Amish communities don’t have any cases of autism, which is factually untrue, and that Cuba also doesn’t have any autistic people in its population.
Trump’s press conference, like most of the president’s speeches, was built on conspiracy theories and misinformation. He has supported untrue claims in the past, such as former President Barack Obama not being born in the U.S, election fraud in the 2020 election and calling the Epstein files fake and written by Democrats.
His stance on acetaminophen is just another claim to add to his long list of misleading statements.
While Trump’s assertions are concerning, what’s more concerning is how many people will believe them. In the past, his false statements have encouraged people to commit acts of violence, such as the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Others have expressed worry that his statements about acetaminophen could endanger pregnant people who decide not to take acetaminophen due to a fever or cold during pregnancy.
The idea that the public has become so misinformed that they trust Trump more than respected doctors is worrying.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made an announcement back in April that he and his department would conduct heavy research to determine the cause of autism. Clearly, that deep research is paying off, as now we know that acetaminophen is a danger to our society. Perhaps if our entire society converted to an Amish lifestyle, America would be better off.
Trump’s conference does nothing except demonize women for taking care of their own bodies during pregnancy. When the doctors say that it’s safe to take and proven to be effective, we should listen to them; not to Trump.
While Trump certainly seems to have convinced himself that his speech about acetaminophen will benefit children, this is not the case. If anything, it risks further harm to children and their mothers. Autism is not caused by acetaminophen, nor is autism something that has to be erased from our society.
The stance the Trump administration has taken on autism is both horribly misinformed and offensive. RFK should be ashamed of the misinformation he’s spread about health, and why he was named the secretary of health and human services in the first place is truly a wonder to humanity. There is no logic in naming someone who is anti-vaccine and thinks that Lyme disease was a “military weapon” to run our health department.
Doctors and experts should be running our health system, not people who prefer to spread an agenda for their own personal gain that actively hurts minorities in this country. The Trump administration runs on conspiracy theories and a far-right agenda. None of them are trying to seek what is best for the American people. If they wanted what was best, they would consult with health experts and doctors to make sure they’re promoting what would best benefit the general population. Instead, though, they blame acetaminophen, vaccines and LGBTQ+ people.
Anything and anybody except themselves.
Chloe Erno can be contacted at
cerno@kscequinox.com
