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RFK JR’S TYLENOL POLICY IGNORES SCIENCE AND VALIDATES HIS CRITICS’ CONCERNS

  • americandoctor2022
  • Oct 8
  • 8 min read

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RFK Jr’s nomination to become the Secretary of Health and Human Services generated quite a lively commentary from both sides of the political isle. Senators voted along party lines. One of the only questions was how Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican physician, would vote. Cassidy famously “struggled” with RFK Jr’s views on vaccines in deciding his vote. Republicans threatened to primary Cassidy if he didn’t approve the nomination and he ultimately voted yes to confirm him.

 

RFK Jr laid out several objectives once he assumed his post. One was to investigate the causes of Autism. Both political sides can probably agree that was a worthy topic to focus energy on.

 

At Charlie Kirk’s funeral, President Trump spoke about a great announcement regarding Autism that would be forthcoming in the next few days. Many thought that was an odd statement to make at a eulogy but that is perhaps a topic of discussion for another day.

 

“And tomorrow we're going to have one of the biggest announcement ever, really, medically, I think, in the history of our country, we're going to be doing it with Bobby and us and all of the professionals. I think you're going to find it to be amazing. I think we found an answer to autism. How about that? Autism. Tomorrow we're going to be talking in the Oval Office, in the white House about autism, how it happens. So, we won't let it happen anymore.”

President Trump at Charlie Kirk Funeral

 

On 22 September 2025, President Trump made the following announcement to the press, with RFK Jr and Dr Oz at his side:

 

“Hello, everyone. Thank you very much. So, I've been waiting for this meeting for 20 years, actually, and it's not that everything's 100 percent understood or known, but I think we've made a lot of strides. I wish it was done a long time ago. Today, we're delighted to be joined by America's top medical and public health professionals as we announce historic steps to confront the crisis of autism, horrible, horrible crisis. I want to thank the man who brought this issue to the forefront of American politics along with me, and we actually met in my office, is it like 20 years ago, Bobby? It's probably 20 years ago, in New York. I was a developer, as you probably heard, and I always had very strong feelings about autism and how it happened and where it came from.

 

And he and I -- I don't know. The word got out and I wouldn't say that people were very understanding of where we were, but it's turning out that we understood a lot more than a lot of people who studied it, we think. And I say we think because I don't think they were really letting the public know what they knew.

 

Thanks as well to the director of the National Institute of Health, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya; FDA commissioner Dr. Mary Makary. These are great people. Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz; and Acting Assistant Secretary of HHS Dr. Dorothy Fink. So, thank you all. Thank you, Dorothy, very much.

 

The meteoric rise in autism is among the most alarming public health developments in history. There's never been anything like this. Just a few decades ago, 1 in 10,000 children had autism. So that's not a long time. And I've always heard, you know, they say a few, but I think it's a lot less time than that.

 

It used to be 1 in 20,000, then 1 in 10,000. And I would say that's probably 18 years ago. And now it's 1 in 31, but in some areas it's much worse than that, if you can believe it, 1 in 31. And I gave numbers yesterday for boys, it's 1 in 12. I was told that's in California where they have a -- for some reason, a more severe problem.

 

But whether it's 1 in 12 or 1 in 31, can you imagine, that's down from 1 in 20,000 then 1 in 10,000. And now we're at the level of 1 in 12, in some cases, for boys, 1 in 31 overall. So, since 2000, autism rates have surged by much more than 400 percent. Instead of attacking those who ask questions, everyone should be grateful for those who are trying to get the answers to this complex situation.

 

And the first day, all of these great doctors behind me were there, I told them this is what -- we have to find out. Because when you go from 20,000 to 10,000 and then you go to 12, you know there's something artificial. They're taking something. And by the way, I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don't take vaccines and don't take any pills, that have no autism, that have no autism.

Does that tell you something? That's currently -- is that a correct statement, by the way? There are some studies that suggest that, yeah, but the Amish, for example. The Amish. Yeah, virtually -- I heard none. See, Bobby wants to be very careful with what he says and he should, but I'm not so careful with what I say, but you have certain groups, the Amish as an example. They have essentially no autism. First, effective immediately, the FDA will be notifying physicians that the use of a -- well, let's see how we say that acetaminophen -- is that OK? Which is basically commonly known as Tylenol during pregnancy, can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.

 

So taking Tylenol is not good. All right. I'll say it. It's not good. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary. That's, for instance, in cases of extremely high fever, that you feel you can't tough it out. You can't do it. I guess there's that.

 

It's a small number of cases, I think. But if you can't tough it out, if you can't do it, that's what you're going to have to do. You'll take a Tylenol, but it'll be very sparingly. It can be something that's very dangerous to the woman's health, in other words, a fever that's very, very dangerous and ideally a doctor's decision because I think you shouldn't take it and you shouldn't take it during the entire pregnancy.

 

They may tell you toward the end of the pregnancy, you shouldn't take it during the entire. And you shouldn't give the child a Tylenol every time he goes -- he's born and he goes and has a shot. You shouldn't give a Tylenol to that child. All pregnant women should talk to their doctors for more information about limiting the use of this medication while pregnant.

 

So ideally, you don't take it at all. But if you have to -- if you can't tough it out or if there's a problem, you're going to end up doing it.”

 

-          President Trump, 22 September 2025

 

Analysis of RJK Jr/Trump Tylenol Announcement

 

1. President Trump cannot pronounce the word acetaminophen.

 

2. The Amish do get autism. The President’s statement was false.[i]

 

3. There is no conclusive evidence of a link between autism and Tylenol. Even Anne Bauer, who researches potential links between Autism and Tylenol and whose work was cited by the White House was “sick to her stomach” with the misuse of her findings and described the conclusion and announcement “dangerous.”[ii]

 

4. Medical organizations that are composed of doctors that treat patients and rely on scientific data refuted the President’s announcement.

 

“ACOG supports the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy when taken as needed, in moderation, and after consultation with a doctor. Acetaminophen has long been established as a safe pain reliever and fever reducer for use during pregnancy.”

 

-          Policy statement of American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology on ACOG website as of 27 SEP 2025

 

“Tylenol (acetaminophen) is the most effective and safe first-line treatment for fever and acute pain in pregnant women who present to the emergency department, both of which can be harmful if left untreated. Emergency physicians must align around clear, evidence-based guidance for patients. The data from numerous studies have shown that acetaminophen is safe and effective.”

 

-          American College of Emergency Physician Statement 23 Sept 2025[iii]

 

“Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and sold under the brand name Tylenol and other brand names, is an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine used to reduce fevers and relieve pain. Decades of research have found that acetaminophen is safe for children when administered as recommended. Misleading claims that the medicine is not safe and is linked to increased rates of autism send a confusing, dangerous message to parents and expectant parents and does a disservice to autistic individuals.”

 

-          American Academy of Pediatrics statement after Trump announcement[iv]

 

5. Trump’s own administration and allies refuted his announcement.

               “Take [Tylenol] when it’s appropriate…[Tylenol was probably] your best option.”

-          Dr Oz (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services[v]

 

“The preponderance of evidence shows that this is not the case.”

-          Republican Senator Bill Cassidy[vi]

 

6. Even the Autism Science Foundation disagreed with the announcement.

 

“We are deeply concerned by today’s announcements from President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy suggesting that taking acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy causes autism, that a medicine derived from folate can be used to treat symptoms of autism, and that vaccines should be broken up over multiple visits and MMR broken into separate shots.”

-          Autism Science Foundation Website 22 Sept 2025[vii]

 

7. Tylenol / acetaminophen is an inexpensive and generic medication and there is not a massive monetary reason to refute Trump’s policy unlike during COVID where inexpensive drugs were shunned by the medical community likely in deference to more expensive Paxlovid and other medications.

 

8. RFK Jr’s team violated intentions to reduce conflict of interest in medicine. Dr Marty Makary, a key figure in the RFK Jr/Tylenol/Autism connection, cited a paper written by Dr Andrea Baccarelli that alleges a connection between Tylenol and Autism. He failed to mention that Dr Baccarelli was once paid $150,000 to testify in personal injury cases against the Tylenol manufacturer for potential autism links.[viii][ix] This is massive conflict of interest and academically calls into question the paper’s inclusion as evidence.

 

The US medical community needed some disruption after the COVID crisis that generated warranted mistrust in the US medical apparatus from many in the public. RFK Jr is definitely a disruptor. However, to have an effective healthcare system, you must have balance in four key areas:

 

·       Science

·       Public Policy

·       Medical industrial complex

·       Ethics

 

During COVID, conflict of interest and censorship removed ethics and accountability for the military industrial complex and brought imbalance. Trump’s announcement of RFK Jr’s recommendations removes science from the equation. Consequently, it is becoming more clear that RFK Jr may not a good fit for his job and the President (and the nation) would be better served by finding someone else to fill the post that can use science and rational thought to the table to reform the US healthcare system. All RFK Jr has done with this first major policy announcement is increase mistrust.

 

I gave RFK Jr the benefit of the doubt and even read his book The Real Anthony Fauci. I agree with maybe 20% of his assertions in the book. Much is hyperbole and not based on science that I could confirm.

 

A statement this egregious and incorrect and potentially damaging to the public is troubling. It calls into question everything else the President and RFK Jr are doing and saying regarding health.

 

As a physician it is already creating conflict between science I utilize with real patients and government policy that is contradictory.

 


© 2025  by American Doctor

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