WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch Trump and RFK Jr.'s Claims on Tylenol, Pregnancy and Autism
8 snips
Sep 24, 2025 Alicia Finley, a public-health columnist at The Wall Street Journal, and Kate Batchelder-Odell from the editorial board dive into the controversy surrounding Tylenol use during pregnancy and its alleged link to autism. They analyze claims made by Donald Trump and RFK Jr., questioning the validity of the research supporting those assertions. The discussion also includes the implications of alarmist messaging on public trust and maternal health, as well as scrutiny of FDA decisions regarding melanoma treatments.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Autism Is Mostly Genetic With Complex Triggers
- Autism is largely genetic, with about 800 associated genes and genes explaining roughly 80% of cases.
- Prenatal exposures and maternal fever may interact with genetics, making observational links to acetaminophen inconclusive.
Mass Tort Against Tylenol And A Tossed Case
- Trial lawyers launched a mass tort against Johnson & Johnson alleging Tylenol causes autism and ADHD despite mixed evidence.
- The judge found the evidence inconsistent and unreliable and tossed the case, which is now on appeal.
Confounding Clouds Acetaminophen Studies
- Observational studies linking prenatal acetaminophen to autism suffer from confounding like maternal illness and shared genetics.
- Stronger sibling-comparison studies generally find no association, undermining causal claims.