Unfounded claim is latest move in effort to glorify the 'natural' - often at the expense of women

Donald Trump has allegedly found “the answer to autism”: Tylenol. On Monday, he said that pregnant women should limit their use of acetaminophen, known internationally as paracetamol, because, he claimed, it raises the risk of autism.

- Carter Sherman

This claim is not supported by science. Research into links between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism have not proved a causal relationship. Medical experts agree that growing diagnoses of autism cannot be traced back to a singular cause.

Acetaminophen can be used to alleviate fever and pain during pregnancy. Leaving those conditions untreated can carry “significant maternal and infant health risks”, says the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

Trump’s announcement was a triumph for the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has a record of making unproven claims about autism and autistic people. It was also the latest move in another emerging campaign in the administration: one that seeks to valorise “natural” pregnancy and motherhood - ie, without proven medical interventions, to the point where it can corrode women’s health and safety.