In a rare and unified response, major medical organizations are forcefully pushing back against President Trump’s assertion that a common pain reliever is linked to autism, with many accusing the administration of promoting dangerous misinformation and risking a public health crisis. The rebuke from the medical community is not just a scientific correction, but a desperate effort to prevent a wave of misinformation from causing real harm.
On Monday, President Trump, speaking at a White House press conference, urged pregnant women to avoid taking acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. He also discouraged giving the medication to young children, suggesting a connection between the drug and rising autism rates. The announcement was met with immediate alarm from doctors and scientists around the world.
The Scientific Consensus
Leading organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), immediately released statements condemning the claims. The ACOG, which represents over 60,000 physicians, called the suggestions “irresponsible” and stated they send a “harmful and confusing message to pregnant patients.” The AAP was just as direct, stating that “studies do not point to a causal link between the use of acetaminophen and autism.”
This pushback is rooted in decades of research. While some small, observational studies have shown a weak association between acetaminophen use and autism, the overwhelming scientific consensus, supported by larger and more robust studies, has found no such link. For example, a major 2024 analysis of 2.4 million children in Sweden found no connection when researchers controlled for familial and genetic factors, which are known to play a large role in autism. Many scientists say that the “association” seen in some studies is likely due to familial confounding, where the same genetic tendencies that increase a person’s risk for autism also increase their likelihood of experiencing conditions that require pain medication.
The Public Health Warning
The medical community’s primary fear is not just the spread of bad science, but the real-world consequences of it. Doctors are concerned that pregnant women, terrified by the warning, will stop taking a medication that is considered one of the safest for treating fever and pain. Untreated high fevers during pregnancy can be dangerous, leading to risks of birth defects, premature birth, and even miscarriage.
“Not treating the fever probably has more adverse effects that you need to worry about than taking the medication,” said Steven J. Fleischman, president of ACOG. . His words, echoed by countless other doctors, highlight the very real dangers that the President’s statements could create.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other global health bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), have also affirmed that the evidence for a causal link is inconsistent and that the drug remains safe for use as directed. For now, the medical community’s response is a unified front against a claim it views as not only baseless but actively harmful to public health.