A concerning claim, now debunked: President Donald Trump's assertion that taking paracetamol during pregnancy leads to autism has been firmly refuted by a major new study. Let's dive into the details and understand why this claim, and others like it, can be so damaging.
In September 2025, Trump, alongside health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., made this claim, urging women to avoid Tylenol (paracetamol in the UK) and echoing various conspiracy theories about autism. Kennedy, known for spreading vaccine misinformation and promoting a discredited theory linking vaccines to autism, even suggested the department would encourage clinicians to prescribe the lowest effective dose of the pain relief drug.
But here's where it gets controversial... Scientists in the UK quickly dismissed these claims as "fearmongering." Now, a comprehensive review of medical evidence, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health journal, has found no strong evidence to support the link between paracetamol use during pregnancy and an increased risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or any intellectual disability in children.
Dr. Lisa Williams, founder and clinical director of The Autism Service, highlighted the dangers of jumping to conclusions. "Autism diagnoses have surged by 787% in the UK since 1998, which naturally raises questions around what’s behind this trend. It’s simply bad science to automatically assume that this is due to autism becoming much more prevalent. It’s even worse to attribute it to a simple cause like taking paracetamol during pregnancy without foundation," she said.
The researchers analyzed 43 papers, including one using sibling data. A Swedish study of 2.4 million births, published in 2024, found no connection between paracetamol exposure in the womb and subsequent autism. A Japanese study suggested a minor risk of ADHD and autism, but further analysis revealed this was likely due to "confounding and misclassification," potentially biased results.
The study's authors suggest that previously reported associations might be due to other factors, such as underlying pain, discomfort, fever, or genetic predisposition, rather than the paracetamol itself. They also emphasized that avoiding paracetamol could expose mothers and fetuses to risks associated with untreated pain and fever, such as miscarriage, preterm birth, or congenital defects.
Experts have praised the study for its "strong and reliable" findings, which directly contradict the US administration's claims. Professor Grainne McAlonan of King's College London stated, "Expectant mothers do not need the stress of questioning whether medicine most commonly used for a headache could have far reaching effects on their child’s health.”
And this is the part most people miss... Dr. Steven Kapp, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Portsmouth, pointed out that parents of disabled children might be more likely to take paracetamol due to stress or their own chronic conditions, which neurodivergent parents are more likely to have. Dr. Monique Botha, associate professor in social and developmental psychology at Durham University, concluded, "When this higher-quality evidence is examined, the findings are clear: there is no evidence that using paracetamol as recommended during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability.”
What are your thoughts? Do you think misinformation about health risks is a growing problem? Share your opinions in the comments below!
