Trump Administration Claims Early Circumcision Doubles Autism Risk: Medical Experts Refute Theory

Kennedy has positioned finding the root causes of autism as a key priority in his agenda (File)

During a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, US President Donald Trump and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr promoted a controversial theory linking autism to circumcision or pain medication administered during the procedure.

Experts quickly criticized this claim, describing the primary study referenced by advocates of this theory as fundamentally flawed and characterizing it as another example of Kennedy's inclination toward "pseudoscience."

"Don't take Tylenol if you're pregnant and when the baby is born, don't give it Tylenol," stated Trump during the meeting.

Kennedy added, "There's two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism," suggesting, "It's highly likely because they're given Tylenol."

Helen Tager-Flusberg, a professor at Boston University and autism researcher, told AFP, "None of this makes sense."

She further explained, "None of the studies have shown that giving Tylenol to babies is linked to a higher risk for autism once you can control for all the confounding variables."

Medical associations actually recommend that pregnant women use pain medications, including acetaminophen—the active component in Tylenol—in moderation when necessary, contradicting Trump's advice to "tough it out."

While several studies have suggested a possible association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, no causal relationship has been established. The most comprehensive analysis to date, published in JAMA last year using siblings as controls, found no connection whatsoever.

Regarding the circumcision theory, David Mandell, a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, told AFP that the most frequently cited paper, published by Danish researchers in 2015, was "riddled with flaws" that were identified by other scientists at the time.

Specifically, he noted that the study relied on an extremely limited sample of Muslim boys circumcised in hospitals rather than at home, which is the predominant cultural practice.

Mandell explained that because these children were hospitalized, it was probable they were "otherwise medically compromised," which could explain higher rates of neurodevelopmental disorders.

"A more recent review of studies in this area finds no association between circumcision and any adverse psychological effects," he added.

Kennedy, formerly an environmental activist and attorney who spent years spreading vaccine misinformation before being appointed as Trump's health secretary, has made identifying the root causes of autism a central focus while reducing research funding in other areas.

He has recruited vaccine conspiracy theorist David Geier, previously disciplined for practicing medicine without proper licensure and for testing unproven treatments on children with autism, to investigate alleged connections between vaccines and autism—a link that has been disproven by numerous previous studies.