United States Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is back at it again with further claims about what he thinks causes autism. This time, he is claiming that there is a link between infant circumcision and autism in boys. He made this claim while attempting to reassert his long-standing, scientifically unsupported theory about the pain reliever Tylenol (acetaminophen) and autism. Furthermore, he stirred controversy by suggesting that political hatred for President Donald Trump was causing women to “irresponsibly” endanger their pregnancies. Medical experts have widely criticized these assertions for being based on correlation rather than causation and for lacking scientific validity. This is what you should know.
Circumcision and Autism: RFK Jr’s Claim
RFK Jr. is back at it again, making seemingly outlandish claims about the cause of the neurodevelopmental disorder, autism. This time, he is claiming that infant boys who undergo circumcision have double the rate of autism. He has not dropped the claims against Tylenol, rather, he has used this new claim to support the former. He says that boys who undergo circumcision are more likely to develop autism because they are given Tylenol to manage pain from the procedure.
The basis for this statement appears to be a 2015 study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. This study, which looked at Danish boys, did indeed find a correlation between ritual circumcision and a higher risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the study’s researchers were clear in noting they had no data on the use of painkillers or anesthetics and therefore could not address whether Tylenol was a factor. Furthermore, other researchers and medical bodies noted that the study only showed a correlation, not a causal relationship, and numerous other studies have found no evidence to support a link between circumcision and autism. By introducing Tylenol as the direct mechanism, Kennedy transformed a correlational finding into a definitive causal claim without medical proof.
The Ties to His Tylenol Theory
The circumcision claim is not a standalone theory; it acts as an extension of RFK Jr’s established, though completely unproven, claim linking acetaminophen (Tylenol) to autism. For years, Kennedy has been one of the most visible public figures to assert a connection between the widely used pain reliever and the neurodevelopmental disorder. In his most recent public statements on the matter, he explicitly stated that women who take Tylenol during pregnancy, “unless they have to,” are being “irresponsible.” By claiming that the painkiller given to infants after circumcision is the cause of the increased autism rate, he is attempting to establish two main points of Tylenol exposure – prenatal exposure and neonatal pain management – as key, overlapping risk factors. This approach attempts to use one unproven theory (Tylenol) to explain the correlation found in an unrelated study (circumcision rates), creating a larger, but still scientifically invalid, narrative of risk.
Trump Derangement Syndrome, Tylenol, and Autism
In discussing his Tylenol theory, Kennedy injected a political element. He suggested that “Trump derangement syndrome” was motivating potentially harmful behavior. Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is a highly polemical, non-medical term used primarily by Donald Trump’s supporters to characterize the intense, negative reactions of his opponents as irrational hysteria. The phrase suggests that critics are so consumed by hatred for Trump that their judgment is impaired, causing them to abandon all logic and reason when evaluating his actions or policies. Essentially, it is political slang employed as a rhetorical weapon to discredit and pathologize dissent against the president.
Kennedy has claimed that TDS is causing women to exhibit certain behaviors. He claimed to have seen a social media video of a pregnant woman “gobbling Tylenol” while cursing the President. He then declared that the level of political hatred has “now left the political landscape and entered the realm of pathology.” RFK Jr. is suggesting that women are knowingly taking actions that ‘endanger’ their developing babies simply out of a pathological hatred for President Trump.
Kennedy’s comments about TDS and women’s actions are notable for two reasons:
- Politicization of Health: It attempts to frame basic healthcare decisions as politically charged and malicious acts.
- Anatomical Error: While making this claim, Kennedy also mistakenly referred to a pregnant woman having a developing baby “in her placenta”. He confused the placenta – the temporary organ that provides nutrients – with the uterus, a permanent part of the female reproductive system where the baby develops.
Why His Fixation on Finding a ‘Solution’ or a ‘Cure’ for Autism Is Problematic
Kennedy’s relentless focus on identifying specific, avoidable environmental “causes” for autism – whether through vaccines, Tylenol, or circumcision – and implicitly offering a path to a “solution” or “cure” is widely considered problematic by public health experts and the autistic community for several critical reasons:
1. Spreading Medical Misinformation
Repeatedly promoting discredited or unproven claims about widely used products like Tylenol and common medical procedures like circumcision undermines public trust in evidence-based medicine. This can lead parents to avoid necessary care (e.g. proper pain management) out of fear. This misdirection wastes medical resources and attention on theories that have been thoroughly debunked.
2. Policy Risk and Trust Erosion
When high-profile figures or government officials promote non-evidence-based claims, it creates a risk that they could upend national, evidence-based health policies. This erodes public confidence in official health agencies like the CDC and FDA, making it more difficult to manage actual public health crisis.
3. Ignoring the Neurodiversity Paradigm
For the autism advocacy community, this perpetual search for a “cause” to “cure” autism is seen a a rejection of neurodiversity. The neurodiversity movement views autism not as a disease to be eradicated, but as a natural variation of the human brain. The intense focus on finding a solution implies that autistic people are flawed and need to be changed or prevented, which contributes to stigma and dismisses the value and perspective of autistic individuals.
4. Distraction from Necessary Support
By obsessing over the etiology (cause) of autism, attention and funding are often diverted away from what the autistic community truly needs: supportive services, accommodation, acceptance, mental health resources, and research focused on improving quality of life across the lifespan.
Read More: RFK Jr. Demanded a Vaccine Study Be Retracted. The Journal Said No.
A Trigger for Antisemitism
Kennedy’s assertion connecting early circumcision and autism promptly drew accusations of antisemitism from political and communal leaders, most notably Democratic Congressman Jerry Nadler. While Kennedy did not explicitly mention Jews in his comment, circumcision is a foundational religious requirement in Judaism, traditionally performed on male babies on the eighth day of life. This makes the claim widely perceived as an attack on a core Jewish practice. Critics argue that, regardless of the scientific merit, the statement targets a ritual practice highly specific to one of the most visible religious minority groups in the United States. They say that it suggests that Jewish parents are unknowingly harming their children through adherence to their faith, thus tapping into a long, ugly history of using medical or health pretexts to criticize and attack Jewish people and their traditions.
The Bottom Line
RFK Jr’s claims linking circumcision to autism are, according to the scientific community, claims without any real evidence to back them up. The scientific community is continuing to refute his claims, assuring parents that neither circumcision or Tylenol can cause their child to develop autism. As always, it is important for you to always get your medical advice from licensed professionals, not from politicians or anyone making claims online.
Read More: How The WHO’s Autism ‘Causes’ Stack Up Against RFK Jr’s Tylenol Claim