The real danger is the president, not the pills

𝗦

trange and dangerous claims by Donald Trump aren’t unusual, but this week’s effort is a particular doozy. 

His latest outburst — or the last one before an extraordinary speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday — targeted pregnant women, warning that taking acetaminophen (Tylenol, paracetamol) puts their babies at risk of autism. 

It’s a claim both utterly unsupported by actual science and currently being slammed in health experts’ reactions to his announcement. 

 In reality, Tylenol/ Paracetamol is one of the very few medicines that pregnant women can take. 

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health says it continues to be the safest medicine to take in pregnancy if you require pain relief or treatment for fever. 

But while Trump is yet again wrong, as usual his nonsense is dangerous. 

Pregnancy already comes with a minefield of both real warnings and a Greek chorus of judgment. 

Don’t eat soft cheese. Don’t drink booze. Limit your coffee. Avoid sushi, deli meat, too much exercise, too little exercise, working too late, quitting too early. 

It feels like every bite and breath is monitored, commented on, and agonised over.

Now add to all this the erroneous statement that a couple of Tylenol/ Paracetamol taken during a fever might endanger your baby. 

The cruelty of Trump’s claim is that even if women know it isn’t true, the doubt has been planted. 

Because pregnant women worry about everything, anyway. 

It’s a time when rational thought gets drowned out by the what-ifs, and any Google search at 2am delivers some dreadful prophecy. 

Even the most grounded, science-minded woman can find herself spiralling because when you’re carrying the most precious thing in the world, every decision feels like it could be the one that ruins it.

Trump’s damage runs in layers. First there’s the guilt: mothers blaming themselves for their child’s autism years down the track, replaying every decision they made while pregnant. 

Then there’s the stigma: the false idea that autism is a tragedy inflicted by a singular cause. 

And finally, there are the health risks. Tylenol/ Paracetamol can be used to alleviate pain and fever during pregnancy, and leaving those conditions untreated can carry significant risks for both mother and infant.

Pregnancy is a minefield of worries. Now Donald Trump is one of them.SUPPLIED

It’s not the first time we’ve seen this playbook. The myth that vaccines cause autism wasted years of treatment, fuelled outbreaks of preventable diseases, and piled shame on parents. 

Trump was one of the loudest voices pushing that crap and while he’s shifted his focus to Tylenol/ Paracetamol the script is the same: scare people silly, spread misinformation, and move on.  

Internationally, medical experts continue to give the same advice they always have: Tylenol/ Paracetamol, used as directed, is safe in pregnancy. 

The only thing that has changed is women now have yet another reason to second-guess themselves, another stick has been given to them to beat themselves with. 

It doesn’t take much. A headline on a website, a demented comment on social media; a friend, relative or some stranger who says they’ve heard that Tylenol/ Paracetamol is dangerous. 

It’s wrong, of course, but it still plants the seed and leaves women wondering if the painkiller is a risk they can’t afford to take. 

But for Trump, it will cost nothing. He’ll bumble along to his next outburst, headline, bullshit while the women who hear this one one will be left with one more layer of worry and shame. 

The danger isn’t the Tylenol/ Paracetamol but the president. It’s in the careless way power is used to frighten and misinform, and another chilling step for an administration that’s determined to undermine women’s access to healthcare. 

Mothers are already doing the hardest job there is. 

Trump may think he’s targeting a pill, but it’s people who’ll pay the price.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭

.