Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., in September. Kennedy said Thursday a link between circumcision and autism is “highly likely.” File Photo by Francis Chungg/UPI | License Photo
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert, F. Kennedy Jr. claimed Thursday that there is a strong connection between circumcision and autism, and he linked the higher incidence of the condition to Tylenol.
“There are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, ” Kennedy said during a Trump administration Cabinet meeting. “It’s highly likely because they’re given Tylenol.
Kennedy did not specify which studies he was referencing, but a 2015 report from Denmark that tracked 334,000 Gen Z males suggested that males who were circumcised were more likely to develop autism before the age of 10 than those who were not.
Acetaminophen, the active analgesic in Tylenol, is routinely used by pregnant women, but contraindicated by the Food and Drug Administration after 20 weeks gestation.
In statements issued as recently as Sept. 5, The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists endorsed the use of Tylenol during pregnancy.
Kenvue, Tylenol’s manufacturer, has said it is evaluating scientific studies about the use of its product during pregnancy, but, to date, has found “no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and developmental issues.”
On Sept. 22, Kennedy and President Donald Trump started a debate when they warned pregnant mothers not to take the drug because it may increase the chances of autism in children.
