Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have recently claimed that taking (acetaminophen/paracetamol) during pregnancy increases the risk of autism in children, labeling expecting mothers who use it as “irresponsible.”  In response, the Trump administration has called for new warning labels on acetaminophen products and has pushed for official investigations into the purported link.

However, major public-health institutions and experts caution that the claims lack solid scientific backing. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that despite a decade of research, no consistent association between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism has been established.

 Yale epidemiologist Dr. Zeyan Liew notes that while some observational studies hint at correlations between long-term use and neurodevelopmental changes, they do not prove causation, and other factors such as the underlying illness (e.g. fever), genetic predispositions, or confounding health conditions could explain observed effects.