US President Donald Trump has announced that women should avoid paracetamol during pregnancy due to a link with childhood autism. However, there is no credible evidence supporting this claim.
The announcement highlights the ongoing problem of low-quality medical research affecting pregnant women and their babies. The scientific community has been unable to find any association between paracetamol use in pregnancy and childhood neurodiversity.
The risk factors for autism are complex and multifactorial, with family history being a major contributing factor. Trump’s announcement will add stigma to neurodiversity diagnoses and the people who live with them.
While it is important to study the effects of common medicines on pregnant women and their babies, Trump’s announcement was speculative and could have serious consequences. The “precautionary approach” should go both ways, considering the risks and benefits for both the mother and baby.
Research suggests that untreated illnesses during pregnancy can be harmful, and discouraging paracetamol use could push women towards unlicensed treatments or alternative analgesia like ibuprofen, which poses proven risks in pregnancy.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/24/pregnant-women-trump-theatre-shame-scaremongering-paracetamol-autism