The administration declares Tylenol as its cause and Leucovorin as a treatment in a recent press conference.
The Trump administration held an official press conference Monday, September 22 to announce that taking acetaminophen, commonly referred to as Tylenol, during pregnancy and accepting vaccines are the major causes of autism. It was also stated that Leucovorin, a form of folinic acid, can be a treatment for autism. During the press conference, President Trump declared The Food and Drug Administration is strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary,” and that for instance, “in cases of extremely high fever,” “don’t take Tylenol.” [… ]You know, I’m just making these statements from me,” he said. “I’m not making them from these doctors, because when they talk about different results, different studies, I talk about a lot of common sense […].” He has also called for a reexamination of the theory that there is a link between vaccines and autism despite this claim being repeatedly debunked in medical communities.
RFK Jr. said that, “for too long, families have been left without answers or options as autism rates have soared” and “today we are taking bold action.” He hopes to bring about the first FDA approved treatment plan for autism.
Despite these claims, however, medical experts do not believe that there are connections between autism and acetaminophen usage. According to experts speaking to ABC News, the increase in autism diagnoses is due to better awareness of autism, better access to screening and services as well as a widening of the definition of the spectrum and the symptoms associated with the disorder. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists state, “The data cited do not support the claim that Tylenol causes autism and Leucovorin is a cure, and only stoke fear and falsely suggest hope when there is no simple answer.” They also assert that Leucovorin has only been shown to help cure autism in “a few cases” and that we “should not have false hope.”
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Kenvue, the maker of 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 and parents.”
The FDA also states that a “causal relationship has not been established” and that they “stand with the science and believe we will continue to be successful in litigation as claims lack legal merit and scientific support.” The Autism Society of America finds the Administration’s claim of knowing the cause and cure of autism to be “harmful, misleading, and unrealistic.” This is because autism is a “complex developmental disability shaped by genetic, biological, and environmental factors.” It is “neither a chronic illness nor a contagion.”
Leading disability organizations, the scientific community, and medical experts agree that “more rigorous, science-based research is necessary.” There is still a long way to go in autism research, to figure out why some have it, and to discover possible treatments for different symptoms, because of how complex autism is, discourse will end up happening between experts, the general public and the government before a general consensus is reached.
