President’s announcement latest move in campaign that seeks to valorize the ‘natural’ – often at women’s expense
Donald Trump has, allegedly, found “the answer to autism”: Tylenol.
On Monday, Trump announced that pregnant women should dramatically limit their use of acetaminophen, known by the brand name Tylenol or internationally as paracetamol, because, he claimed, it raises the risk of autism.
This claim is not supported by science. Research into links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism have not proved a causal relationship, while medical experts widely agree that growing diagnoses of autism cannot be traced back to a singular cause.
Acetaminophen can be used to alleviate fever and pain during pregnancy. Leaving those conditions untreated can carry “significant maternal and infant health risks”, according to a statement from the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Untreated fevers, for example, can lead to miscarriage, birth defects and premature births.
