"Children Who Undergo Circumcision Have Higher Autism Rates"... US Secretary Targets 'Tylenol' Again

Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Claims
Medical Community Refutes: "No Evidence... Politically Motivated Remarks"

Robert Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, has sparked controversy by suggesting that children who undergo early circumcision have a higher rate of autism due to Tylenol use.

According to the Washington Post and the New York Post on October 11 (local time), Secretary Kennedy stated during a recent cabinet meeting in Washington, D.C., "There are two studies showing that children who undergo early circumcision have twice the rate of autism," and added, "The use of Tylenol (acetaminophen) is likely the cause."

Although Secretary Kennedy did not specify the names of the studies, it is believed he was referring to research published in the international journal Environmental Health in 2013 and the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (JRSM) in 2015. These studies analyzed the correlation between circumcision and autism among men in eight countries and argued that the use of analgesic agents during circumcision could increase the risk.

Robert Kennedy Jr. U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Photo by Yonhap News

Another Danish study from 2015 tracked approximately 340,000 boys over ten years and found that the risk of developing autism was 46% to 62% higher among circumcised children.

However, the academic community has evaluated both studies as having low reliability. Key variables such as parental age at childbirth, access to healthcare, and increasing autism diagnosis rates were not controlled. It was also pointed out that children who underwent circumcision visited hospitals more frequently, which could lead to a higher likelihood of diagnosis.

Kennedy's remarks came just two weeks after President Donald Trump claimed that taking Tylenol during pregnancy increases the risk of autism in the fetus. Trump also urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to add warnings about autism and brain development risks to Tylenol product labels.

In response, the medical community views Secretary Kennedy's remarks as highly political.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) refuted, "Over more than 20 years of research, no association has been found between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism," and added, "Within appropriate dosage, Tylenol is a safe antipyretic and analgesic for pregnant women."

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) also dismissed the claims of Trump and Kennedy, stating, "There is currently no scientific evidence."