On September 30, 2025, the Trump administration ignited a firestorm of controversy by asserting that Tylenol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy may cause autism spectrum disorder (ASD). President Donald Trump, never one to shy away from bold pronouncements, described the claim as “one of the biggest medical announcements in the history of our country.” Yet, as reported by multiple outlets including the Associated Press and Health Promotional International, the statement was not grounded in a robust scientific consensus or a quantitative meta-analysis, but rather a selective reading of a few observational studies that merely suggested a possible correlation—far from causation.
The administration’s stance did more than just ruffle feathers in the medical community. It sowed confusion and anxiety among expectant parents across the country, set off alarm bells among public health officials, and triggered a reputational crisis for Tylenol and its parent company, Kenvue. The echoes of panic were palpable: social media lit up with worried questions, and doctors’ offices fielded a wave of calls from concerned patients.
Kenvue, for its part, wasted no time in responding. The company reaffirmed that “independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism,” and it warned against discouraging its use during pregnancy, citing the known risks of alternatives like ibuprofen. While Kenvue’s share price remained stable, the social fallout was harder to contain. As the company pointed out, “discouraging acetaminophen could put both mother and fetus at risk if pain or fever goes untreated.”
Medical experts swiftly and vocally condemned the administration’s claim. Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, called the statement “highly concerning” and “irresponsible.” In his words, “I don’t want you going back and looking and saying to yourself, ‘I shouldn’t have done this, I shouldn’t have done that.’ It’s nothing you did. It really is not. Not treating the fever probably has more adverse effects that you need to worry about than taking the medication.” The Autism Society of America also weighed in, labeling the claim “unfounded” and warning that it distracts from efforts to support people with ASD and their families.
The controversy didn’t stop at Tylenol. President Trump also revived long-debunked theories about vaccines and autism, despite decades of research disproving any such link. Dr. Susan Kressly, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, was blunt: “Studies have repeatedly found no credible link between life-saving childhood vaccines and autism. Any effort to misrepresent sound, strong science poses a threat to the health of children.”
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. added another layer of confusion by promising to determine the cause of autism by September 2025—a pledge that left brain experts baffled, given the complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors involved in ASD. As experts noted, autism is not a disease with a single cause; rather, it is a complex developmental condition that affects language, learning, and social and emotional skills in varying degrees. The rates of autism have increased over recent decades, but much of that rise is attributed to broader diagnostic criteria and better screening, not an epidemic of new cases.
So, what does the science actually say about Tylenol and autism? The picture is far from clear-cut. Some studies have raised the possibility of an association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism risk, but many others have found no connection whatsoever. As the Coalition of Autism Scientists pointed out, acetaminophen use during pregnancy has not increased in recent decades the way autism rates have. The FDA weighed in on September 29, 2025, advising doctors to minimize acetaminophen use during pregnancy but acknowledging the uncertainty: “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.”
There’s another wrinkle: untreated fevers in pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, are known to increase the risk of miscarriages, preterm birth, and other complications. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine continues to advise that acetaminophen is an appropriate option for pregnant women, as does Tylenol’s own label, which urges women to consult their doctors about use during pregnancy.
Amid the uproar, the Trump administration also announced steps to make available a possible—though unproven—treatment for autism: leucovorin, a folic acid metabolite. The theory is that some people with autism may have too little folate in their brains, and supplementing with leucovorin could help. While leucovorin is already used for other health conditions and some families have tried it in hopes of easing autism symptoms, experts like Helen Tager-Flusberg of Boston University caution that only a few small, preliminary studies exist. “Is this something worth pursuing? Yes, it is in potentially a subset of individuals,” she said, “but there needs to be a large, very rigorous study to prove if it really works.”
Beyond the immediate medical questions, this episode has thrown a harsh spotlight on the broader crisis of health misinformation. According to a recent Canadian Medical Association survey, Canadians are exposed to significant amounts of health misinformation, and those who spend more time on social media are especially vulnerable to its harmful effects—delayed medical treatment, strained relationships, and heightened anxiety. Social media platforms, with algorithms that prioritize engagement over accuracy, amplify the problem. As the old saying goes, “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.”
Health experts and advocates are calling for a coordinated, multi-pronged response to counter the spread of misinformation. The Health Promotional International study recommends six key steps: rapid, evidence-based responses from companies like Kenvue; collaborative, unified messaging across the medical and public health ecosystem; partnerships with advocacy groups to put a human face on the issue; greater investment in media literacy initiatives; regulatory oversight to hold social media platforms accountable; and better support for frontline clinicians and public health officers as they confront misinformation in their daily work.
Ultimately, the Trump administration’s claims about Tylenol and autism have created more than just a public relations headache—they have exposed a deeper malaise in the way information, trust, and science intersect in today’s society. As experts warn, the real risk is not just in correcting a single piece of misinformation, but in rebuilding the public trust that is essential for sound health decisions and the well-being of future generations.
