Medical Experts Reassure Pregnant Women: Paracetamol is Safe, Trump’s Autism Claim Lacks Scientific Basis

A coalition of international scientists, including researchers from Monash University, has strongly rebuked the claim made by US President Donald Trump that women should avoid taking the painkiller acetaminophen (Tylenol or paracetamol) throughout pregnancy due to a link with autism.

The comprehensive new review, published in the respected medical journal The BMJ, was fast-tracked in part to provide reliable, evidence-based reassurance to pregnant women following the high-profile political statement that sparked widespread confusion.

The study concluded that the existing evidence base is \”insufficient to definitively link\” paracetamol exposure before birth with autism and ADHD in children. Furthermore, the review found that the apparent associations seen in some previous papers were statistically weak, with confidence in those findings being \”low to critically low.\”

The researchers suggested that these observed links were likely confounding factors—meaning that shared genetics or environmental issues within families, rather than the drug itself, explain the outcomes. When studies used sophisticated methods to compare siblings, the link virtually vanished.

Co-author Professor Helena Teede stressed the need for public trust in established science:

\”It is important to rely on the best collective evidence… It is also important to continue research…\”

Medical bodies worldwide, including Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), continue to classify paracetamol as safe for use in pregnancy when taken as directed. Experts note that untreated high fever and pain during pregnancy pose a greater, documented risk to the unborn child than the appropriate use of paracetamol.