President Trump Warns Pregnant Women of Autism Risk: 'Don't Take Tylenol'
During a White House press conference on Monday, President Trump warned women against the possible dangers of taking Tylenol while pregnant and said the FDA will be giving doctors new guidance on the drug.
"Acetaminophen....which is basically commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy, can be associated with a very increased risk of autism. For this reason, they are strongly recommending that women limit Tylenol used during pregnancy unless medically necessary," Trump said.
"Medically necessary" would mean only in cases where a high fever would pose a risk to the unborn person.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said the news conference was filled with "dangerous claims and misleading information" and that no studies have proven that the use of acetaminophen by pregnant women is a cause for autism.
But FDA commissioner Dr. Martin Makary says a Harvard University and Mount Sinai review of more than two dozen studies found that an autism link is possible.
"They saw 27 studies that show an association, and four studies that did not, and the Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that there was a causal association between acetaminophen use and pregnancy and autism," Makary said.
The maker of Tylenol strongly disagrees, saying, "We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise."
CBN News Medical Reporter Lorie Johnson confirms some studies do show a possible link, but says they are incomplete.
"Here's the problem: the human studies so far have been observational, not scientific studies. It would be immoral to do scientific studies giving pregnant women Tylenol, which could possibly harm the babies, so these are just observational studies, and the question is, what else was going on with these women?" Johnson said.
The administration is also recommending an FDA-approved cancer drug, Leucovorin, as a possible treatment for autism.
***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest alerts.***
About The Author
Wendy Griffith was a Co-host for The 700 Club and an Anchor and Senior Reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to The 700 Club, Wendy co-anchored Christian World News, a weekly show that focuses on the triumphs and challenges of the global church. (https://www.facebook.com/CBNCWN).
Wendy started her career at CBN on Capitol Hill, where she was the network's Congressional Correspondent during the Impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton. She then moved to the Virginia Beach headquarters in 2000 to concentrate on stories with a more spiritual emphasis. She has traveled internationally, covering stories such as the hostage drama of missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham in the Philippines, the spiritual crisis over homosexuality in the Episcopal Church, the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in northern Israel, and even traveled to Jordan for an in-depth look at the plight of Syrian refugees who escaped from their war-torn country to find refuge in Jordan.
She began her television career at NBC affiliate KYEL-TV in Yuma, Ariz., in 1987 after graduating from West Virginia University in 1986 with a B.S. in Journalism. She went on to work in several television markets across the country as an anchor/reporter, including two stints at ABC affiliate WCHS-TV in Charleston, West Virginia, her hometown. Wendy became a first-time author in September of 2011 when she co-authored her first book, Praying the News, Your Prayers are More Powerful than You Know. Her second book, You Are a Prize to be Won! Don't settle for Less than God's Best, was released in January 2014.
