Recently, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy made an ignorant statement about neurodivergent people. According to Kennedy, “Autism destroys families, and more importantly, it destroys our greatest resource, which is our children. They’ll never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write a poem, they’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”
Kennedy’s statement is a blatant show of his bigotry toward people with autism. It also demonstrated his contempt for the medical researchers who have investigated the roots of autism. He was referring to a new CDC report showing an increase in autism diagnoses in the last few years. Kennedy has blamed “environmental exposures” as the most likely contributing factors to the rise in cases.
However, medical professionals assert that this surge is primarily due to increased public awareness and diagnostic techniques. Kennedy called this evidence-based explanation “indefensible.” Kennedy’s blanket anti-science statement about Autism is clear evidence that he does not understand that autism is a spectrum disorder. A spectrum disorder signifies that the condition and symptoms vary from person to person. While some people may need continual support for daily activities, others can function just fine independently. While some are in-between.
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How RFK Jr. is Keeping Tylenol-Autism Pseudoscience Alive?
Just last week, the Health Secretary reasserted the unproven link between Tylenol and autism. He believes that people who opposed this conspiracy theory were motivated by hatred for President Donald Trump.
Kennedy’s claim was based on a TikTok video, which he said featured a pregnant woman “gobbling Tylenol” and cursing Trump. “The level of Trump derangement syndrome has now left the political landscape and is now in the realm of pathology,” he said. Kennedy also said the woman was taking Tylenol “with a baby in her placenta.” However, a fetus develops in the uterus, not the placenta. The placenta is a temporary organ that grows in the uterus during pregnancy, providing oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to the growing fetus.
During a meeting with Trump and the Cabinet, Kennedy reiterated the claim, while also noting that he has no medical proof to substantiate the claim. “Anybody who takes the stuff during pregnancy unless they have to is irresponsible,” Kennedy told Trump and fellow Cabinet members. Kennedy also added that he has no proof but plans to conduct studies to find decisive evidence for his claim.
The health secretary also linked circumcision to autism. He wrongly quoted a 2015 study in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, which claimed that infant boys who are circumcised have double the rate of autism because they are given Tylenol after the procedure.
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Circumcision and Autism: The New Villain
RFK Jr. suggested that there may be a link between autism and circumcision while reasserting the unproven theory about Tylenol. He stated, “There are two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they are given Tylenol.”
The Health Secretary failed to mention the studies he was referring to in his remarks. However, experts claim that RFK Jr. was pointing to a 2013 study of eight countries and a 2015 study from Denmark. Both studies suggested a link between circumcision and autism rates, but were inconclusive.
Mental health professionals and people with autism have criticized RFK for trying to find the “causes of autism,” instead of fostering better social awareness and support for autistic individuals.
Kennedy has long espoused unconventional beliefs about public health. These views have prompted concern among medical experts. They worry that, as health secretary, he could upend the country’s evidence-based health policies.
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