Robert F. Kennedy Jr., our new Health Secretary, is making waves once more – and let’s just say, it’s not the kind of attention he’d probably prefer.
In a recent sit-down with Donald Trump and some Cabinet folks, Kennedy brought back one of his most talked-about theories: that everyday painkillers like Tylenol might be connected to autism. He owned up to the fact that there’s no solid medical evidence yet, but he wasn’t backing down – and he tossed in a couple of even weirder ideas for good measure.
Pushing Back Hard
Remember a few weeks back when Trump and RFK Jr. hinted at this big bombshell? They suggested that moms-to-be popping common pain relievers could lead to autism in their kids. Sounds alarming, right?
Well, the science community wasn’t having it. Experts from all corners jumped in to debunk it, flat-out saying there’s zero proof linking stuff like Tylenol to autism. In other words, the idea just doesn’t stack up.
The folks who make Tylenol clapped back too, saying they “strongly disagree” with the whole thing. And the National Autistic Society didn’t mince words, calling out Trump and Kennedy’s remarks as “dangerous, anti-science, and downright irresponsible.”
It’s clear that RFK Jr. and Trump are laser-focused on “solving” autism, but that intensity is rubbing a lot of people the wrong way. Even Barack Obama chimed in yesterday, warning that the administration’s latest proposals could seriously jeopardize public health.
Still, in Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, Kennedy stuck to his guns. He kept insisting on that link.
“If you’re pregnant and taking this stuff unless it’s absolutely necessary, that’s just irresponsible,” he told Trump.
“It’s not proven yet. But we’re running the studies to get that proof.”
“Trump Derangement Syndrome” and Anatomy Mix-Ups
Things got a bit off-track when Kennedy mentioned a TikTok video of a woman “gobbling Tylenol with a baby in her placenta.” Yeah, that raised some eyebrows – and not just because it sounds odd. (Quick biology reminder: babies grow in the uterus, not the placenta.)
He chalked her actions up to “Trump derangement syndrome,” implying that folks’ dislike for the president was driving them to make bad health choices. Talk about a stretch.
And if that wasn’t enough to chew on, Kennedy dusted off another old, discredited notion: that baby boys who get circumcised are twice as likely to develop autism, supposedly because they’re given Tylenol for the pain afterward.
This seems to stem from a 2015 study out of Denmark that spotted some correlation – but definitely not causation – between circumcision and autism, per the Associated Press. The researchers themselves were quick to point out they had no info on painkillers involved and urged everyone not to read too much into it.
Kennedy’s habit of linking routine health stuff to autism is stirring up a storm of backlash. A bunch of medical pros are concerned that his high-profile role lends undue weight to these unbacked ideas, which could erode trust in real, evidence-based medicine.
What’s your take? Should big shots in the public eye face consequences for peddling unproven health theories, or is it all fair game under free speech? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let’s hash it out.
