President Donald Trump joined administration officials and announced major progress that they have been making, which leads to the roots of Autism. During this event, Trump listed statistics that showed a rapid increase in autism. These claims were harmful to many, specifically pregnant women. As a woman, I feel devastated that yet again, women’s rights and healthcare are being put into the hands of other people, specifically men.
Health experts have since condemned Trump’s claims linking Tylenol to autism. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said the announcement was “unsettling” and “not only highly concerning to clinicians but also irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.” Spreading information without fact-checking should not be acceptable on one of the most public and important stages. Having colleges and public officials make statements against the Trump administration is a demonstration of how detrimental these comments are.
Almost every week, there’s something new on social media that directly affects Americans across the country negatively rather than positively. This is not only troubling for the country and people now, but the future that our children will grow up in.
This message is damaging to the public, specifically targeting pregnant women, making it harder for them to have something to alleviate the pains they go through while carrying a child. Tylenol is one of the few options available to pregnant patients. Tylenol is made to treat pains and fevers; not having this available is harmful to pregnant people if left untreated. Tylenol was one of the only things that was able to alleviate the pain and symptoms they were feeling throughout pregnancy.
For years, women have had to fight for their rights. Education, healthcare, the right to vote, equal pay, and fighting against discrimination. Women fought hard to get fair treatment. We were seeing progress being made by pioneers who were leading these courageous movements. Women fought hard to be met with the bare minimum. Sadly, in most recent years we have seen how these rights in healthcare specifically have started to subside. The one thing that women should have a say in is what they choose to do with their bodies. It is sickening that other people want to give their opinion on what women should be doing to their bodies. Not just other people, but men.
Following Trump’s comments and the response from public health officials and the science community, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt released a statement via the White House website. They claim to have mountains of evidence connecting autism to the consumption of acetaminophen during pregnancy. Based on these connections, the Administration began to make claims about new health guidance.
In 2019, Johns Hopkins University conducted a study that analyzed umbilical cord blood samples. This is one of the studies that The White House is referencing. Through this study, they found that newborns with high exposure to Tylenol were three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD or ASD. While these studies do show highly elevated risk factors, it is not known for a fact that these children ended up with ADHD or ASD since the only thing being studied was the cut umbilical cord.
Since these claims were made by Trump and his administration, Tylenol’s parent company, Kenvue, released 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 about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.” This statement was so crucial for the public to hear. Pregnant women and people with ASD are obviously being affected by these claims. However, Tylenol is also being affected. Their integrity and effectiveness were at risk. Their making a statement and defending their position was a must after the reckless remarks.
There is comfort in knowing that people are not backing down to Trump and his administration’s attacks. The media and experts were quick to fact-check and release public statements. The words we say carry weight. As President of the United States, it’s imperative that he and his administration fact check their research before making such a big statement for millions of people across the country.
In addition, they went on to defend their claim that Tylenol is safe for pregnant women, saying, “Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby, or use riskier alternatives”.
Among Trump’s many claims in the Roosevelt room, one claim that caused chaos among Americans is that California has a “more severe problem” with Autism compared to the other states surveyed by the CDC. The BBC reported that in 2022, the CDC estimated one in twelve eight-year-old boys in California had autism. This would be equivalent to the highest rate for boys in the study across 16 U.S. states. It’s obvious that Trump feels negatively towards California because the state is primarily on the left. The attacks on Californians should not surprise anyone; however, singling out one state on a grand platform without giving a reason is harmful.
According to an article posted by Connect n Care, they claim that California does, in fact, lead the country in Autism rates. However, this is due to the state’s high population density in popular cities like Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.
These results can be attributed to California’s better access to healthcare and specialized services. This includes the state’s advanced diagnostic systems and the availability of healthcare professionals who are specialized in autism. California has a high number of treatment and diagnostic facilities, and autism centers that help spot autism in young children at earlier ages.
Unfortunately, none of the claims that Trump and his administration make are surprising. Over the course of the last 10 months, we have heard and seen almost everything. The constant attacks on minorities, people of color, the disabled community, and communities that have been targeted for years should be unsettling. However, it’s crucial that we don’t lose hope. With the power left that we have left, we can still stand up and change the society we are living in.
