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US President Donald Trump has claimed the use of acetaminophen in pregnancy, known as paracetamol in Australia, increases the risk of autism in babies.

It’s prompted the President to recommend pregnant women should ‘strongly’ limit the use of paracetamol unless they had an ‘extremely high fever’ that they could not ‘tough out’.

“Pregnant women should talk to their doctors,” Mr Trump said. “Ideally, you don’t take it at all.”

Mr Trump said there are groups of people who “don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills that have no autism”.

Described as ‘bold new actions’ by the Trump Administration, the announcement has come with a warning to doctors not to recommend acetaminophen for pregnant women in the US.

Watch the full announcement below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iep7lEvB0mo

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) maintains that paracetamol is considered safe for use in pregnancy.

In a statement the TGA said, “The use of medications in pregnancy is subject to clinical, scientific and toxicological evaluation at the time of registration of a medicine in Australia. The TGA has no current active safety investigations for paracetamol and autism, or paracetamol and neurodevelopmental disorders more broadly.”

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) has issued a statement rejecting the claims. 

“Robust scientific evidence shows no link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism or ADHD, with several large and reliable studies directly contradicting the administration’s statement.”

America’s National Autistic Society has labelled the claims as ‘dangerous’.

“This is dangerous, it’s anti-science and it’s irresponsible,” said Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the National Autistic Society.

“President Donald Trump is peddling the worst myths of recent decades. Such dangerous pseudo-science is putting pregnant women and children at risk and devaluing autistic people.

“Let’s be clear – painkillers do not cause autism and vaccines do not cause autism. Large-scale studies have shown that there is no robust, scientific evidence to support this claim. It’s nothing more than fearmongering.”

Pregnant women in Australia are being encouraged to speak to their healthcare provider if they have any concerns.

"The causes of neurodivergence are incompletely understood but are known to be complex and to include both genetic and environmental contributors."

  • I actually don’t know what to say. What business does Trump have making comments like this when he is no doctor and doesn’t have a medical degree. He really should leave this to the professionals who have done a lot of research on this and there is nothing proving this is true.

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  • I’ve read snippets of this with what he has stated and without hard evidence and research, it is such a deadly and dangerous statement to make, especially for pregnant women whho are already trying to do the best they can. I would definitely continue to follow and seek medical advice when it comes to your health

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  • Be good to link this with the other article you wrote on this ad it provided week researched and insightful comments regarding this. The one hour Trump announcement on this is cringe and is bound to insight paranoia and guilt amongst pregnant women past and present! You should always be mindful of what you put in your body, more so during pregnancy… but you should also remember that often the consequences of not taking something can be worse!

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  • I agree with the comment below about fever in pregnancy. It is so essential to control fever in pregnancy because of possible risks associated with fever and pregnancy. I had to take medication to control raging fevers for both the health of me and my unborn children. I do hope people research this issue and take advice from trusted professionals.

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  • Pretty much every medical professional in the world lost their minds about this. There is no evidence. The risks of unchecked fever in pregnancy are proven, and high. The man is a lunatic and I am genuinely worried for the physical health of anyone in the United States. He’s dangerous and dopey.

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  • Oh man, this would be extremely funny when it wouldn’t be serious ! Since when does Trump have a science degree ?? It is a load of b.s and misuse of the research done so far. The ONLY reason they are coming up with this is because their party announced before election that by September they will announce a cure for autism. Australian researchers and autism Australia have both disproven this claim.

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  • Over the years there have been so many claims about autism which have caused angst for families and have not been helpful. Claims always need to be backed up by vigorous and respected research. Pregnant women should always get advice from a GP that will know the science behind any medications.

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  • Oh wow! Is nothing safe? I feel very sorry for any pregnant women who this might be causing extra stress or concern for. I used paracetamol during my pregnancies and my kids are all happy and healthy. That’s not to say there isn’t any truth in this article but it would be nice to have Trumps statement supported by some scientific evidence.

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