Donald Trump issues new advice to pregnant women taking Tylenol as he claims it causes autism
Donald Trump has been speaking from the White House over what he had said would be the 'biggest medical announcement' in American history, though scientists heavily dispute his declaration.
Trump has tried to draw a link between pregnant women taking the painkiller Tylenol and autism after his health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr had declared earlier this year he would find the cause of autism 'by September'.
It's September now and RFK Jr, whose views on health policy diverge significantly from experts in a number of fields according to BBC Verify, has apparently found something to call the cause.
Trump had previously hinted he was going to talk about this, as his weekend speech at the memorial for Charlie Kirk meandered into a declaration that 'we have an answer to autism'.
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He used his eulogy speech for Kirk to announce his own thing, saying 'we are going to have the biggest medical announcement in the history of the country'.
Trump opened by saying he'd been 'waiting for this moment for 20 years' as he claimed he'd been right about autism all along.
He then started suggesting that people who don't take vaccines or modern medication had lower rates as he claimed Amish people basically didn't have it.
Trump then said 'taking Tylenol is not good' for pregnant women as he thought 'you shouldn't take it during the entire pregnancy' as he hit out at the painkiller brand.
Embarking on a long and rambling rant, the US president then declared he wanted 'no mercury in the vaccine' and 'no aluminum in the vaccine'.
Kenvue, the company which makes Tylenol, said in a statement: "We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.
"We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned with the health risk this poses for expecting mothers."
Several experts have criticised the claims that a link between the painkiller and autism existed, and said that research 'found no evidence of a link' between pregnant women taking paracetamol and an increased risk of autism.
Professor Claire Anderson, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: "Paracetamol has been used safely by millions of people for decades, including during pregnancy, when taken as directed. It is the first-line choice for pain management and fever control in a variety of patients, including pregnant women, children and the elderly.
"A large study conducted in 2024 found no evidence of a link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and an increased risk of autism in children.
"This research, which followed over 2.4 million children, provides reassurance for expectant parents that paracetamol remains a safe option for managing pain or fever during pregnancy when used as recommended."
Professor Angelica Ronald of the University of Surrey said there was 'a lot of empirical evidence from many decades of robust research, conducted across a range of countries, that does not support the claim that paracetamol causes autism', while Doctor Linden J Stocker said the effects of paracetamol on pregnancy was 'well-studied' and there was 'no good evidence' that it impacted the unborn baby.
Doctor Edward Mullins of Imperial College London said it appeared as though the Trump administration's claim 'would appear to be an unsubstantiated theory', and would result in 'essential treatment for fever and pain being denied to women in pregnancy without good reason'.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News, Science
Joe Harker