Overview

• At an Oct. 9 White House Cabinet meeting, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said circumcised boys have double the autism rate and called Tylenol the highly likely reason, while acknowledging the evidence is not proof.
• President Donald Trump reiterated his advice that pregnant women should not take Tylenol and told parents not to give it to newborns.
• Scientists and medical societies said the circumcision–autism assertion rests on flawed observational work, noting a 2015 Danish paper lacked painkiller data and that higher‑quality research, including a 2024 JAMA sibling study, finds no causal link for acetaminophen.
• Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, disputes any causal connection, and the FDA has opened a label review as federal agencies pursue research announced earlier.
• A new KFF poll reports broad public awareness of the claims, with 65% saying the Tylenol–autism assertion is probably or definitely false and a majority disapproving of Kennedy’s job performance.