We’ve been working on this article for weeks. Poring over studies on the Tylenol-autism topic. Just before we got it scheduled to post… another soundbite.
At today’s Cabinet meeting, Health Secretary RFK Jr. claimed that “children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism,” adding “it’s highly likely because they’re given Tylenol.” President Trump backed him up, saying there’s “a tremendous amount of proof or evidence, I would say as a non-doctor.”
Here’s just the tip of what’s wrong with this claim: Kennedy mentioned “two studies,” but didn’t specify which. A quick search turns up two likely candidates. One is a 2015 Danish registry study that found a modest statistical bump in autism diagnoses among circumcised boys, especially under age five. The authors themselves highlighted big limitations—such as incomplete circumcision data and the inability to prove causation. (By the way, the study never mentioned Tylenol, acetaminophen, or any pain medications. The researchers were investigating whether the circumcision procedure itself – the pain and stress – might be linked to autism.) The other is a 2013 ecological paper that used circumcision rates as a stand-in for acetaminophen exposure. Even its authors described it as “hypothesis-generating,” not proof. And just to underline how shaky the circumcision link was, a 2015 published critique of the Danish study pointed out that its autism findings rested on very small numbers and questionable assumptions.
But...
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