'Long history of blaming mothers': Trump's Tylenol warning echoes past misconceptions

Tylenol caplets are displayed connected September 22, 2025 successful San Anselmo, California. Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

This week, President Trump urged pregnant women to "tough it out" and return Tylenol sparingly connected nan ground that there's a nexus betwixt nan progressive constituent successful nan symptom killer, acetaminophen, and autism.

Medical experts person powerfully pushed back connected nan guidance, arguing that specified claims are misleading and investigation shows there's no causal link betwixt acetaminophen and autism. The Food and Drug Administration besides later clarified that "while an relation betwixt acetaminophen and autism has been described successful galore studies, a causal narration has not been established and location are contrary studies successful nan technological literature."

Still, nan remarks connected Monday sparked confusion, interest and guilt among pregnant women and families pinch children who person autism. Medical scholars opportunity it's portion of a shape successful nan history of medicine and autism research.

" We really person a agelong history of blaming mothers successful this country, and we're seeing that reinforced done nan narratives astir autism's causes correct now," said Martine Lappé, a sociology professor astatine California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, who has studied really autism subject and defense person affected families.

Autism spectrum disorder, arsenic it is officially called, is simply a analyzable neurodevelopmental condition, pinch a wide scope of characteristics and support levels. There are much than 100 genes associated pinch it. Historically, efforts to find a singular origin for autism has led to scrutinizing parents and fueling stigma astir autism, Lappé added.

In nan mid-20th century, moving moms were wrongly associated pinch autism 

In nan 1940s, not agelong aft autism was recognized arsenic a chopped condition, blasted quickly fell connected mothers — specifically those pinch careers aliases assemblage degrees.

The starring kid psychiatrist astatine nan time, Leo Kanner, observed that galore of his young patients pinch autism had mothers who were highly knowledgeable aliases moving professionals, and besides seemed emotionally cold. Kanner concluded that a deficiency of parental warmth drove children to retreat into behaviors associated pinch autism, successful what later became known arsenic nan "refrigerator mom" theory.

" A acold mother, astatine nan time, beautiful overmuch meant an intelligence mother, a mother who had different interests too raising her children," said Marga Vicedo, a historiographer of subject astatine nan University of Toronto, Canada, who has published a book connected nan history of nan "refrigerator mom" theory.

According to Vicedo, nan number of knowledgeable mothers successful Kanner's studies could person been explained by different factors, for illustration nan truth that galore of them came from middle-to-upper people backgrounds, wherever higher acquisition was much common.

Still, nan conception grew successful fame — successful portion because it emerged amid increasing tensions betwixt women entering nan workforce and societal unit for women to return to accepted roles astatine location successful nan post-World War II era.

"At nan extremity of day, saying it's a mother's responsibility is simply a very beardown and powerful measurement of keeping mothers arsenic nan main caretakers," she said.

The "refrigerator mom" mentation had devastating impacts connected mothers — fueling shame, guilt and moreover harmful practices. In nan 1960s, kid psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim advocated for separating autistic children from their mothers, according to Vicedo.

Over time, arsenic investigation progressively pointed to genetics arsenic a awesome facet successful autism, nan mentation was discredited. Parents and specifically mothers besides became much vocal successful challenging claims that they were to blame.

Today, Vicedo said she sees parallels betwixt nan rhetoric astir "refrigerator moms" and "Tylenol" — chiefly successful nan inclination to pin autism connected a singular cause, contempt its complexity.

"The continued attraction connected what mothers do places a tremendous load and a batch of accent connected them," she said.

Vaccine skepticism and nan inclination to oversimplify autism 

A fewer decades aft nan "refrigerator mom" mentation was debunked, a caller culprit was beforehand and center: vaccines.

In 1998, interrogator Andrew Wakefield claimed location was a nexus betwixt autism and nan vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, besides known arsenic nan MMR vaccine.

Wakefield's study has since been retracted, his declare has been many times disproven and he mislaid his aesculapian licence successful nan U.K. But that process took clip and resources which could person gone toward different autism research, according to Lappé from Cal Poly.

Similar to nan "refrigerator mom" theory, Lappé said nan vaccine autism story placed excessively overmuch attraction connected parents' choices for a information that's mostly familial and multi-faceted.

"Mothers, I think, felt a batch of individual blasted and work if their children did person autism," she said.

According to Lappé, these misleading narratives connected causation besides return attraction distant from much meaningful and productive conversations, for illustration entree to healthcare, childcare and investigation that promotes neurodiversity.

" If nan extremity is genuinely to beforehand wellness and wellness, past we request policies that support what we cognize mothers and caregivers need," she said.

Tylenol and nan unit to 'tough it out'

Medical experts and scholars interest that nan caller claims astir Tylenol put pregnant women and families successful a difficult bind.

" It really puts women and mothers and aesculapian providers successful this really challenging business because women are now being told differing stories from different individuals," said Dr. Rachel Follmer, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician astatine Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, who sees patients pinch autism.

Follmer is besides worried that pregnant women mightiness debar treating symptom altogether to steer clear of Tylenol, which is nan most commonly recommended symptom reliever during pregnancy. Ignoring fevers aliases symptom tin besides airs superior wellness risks, Follmer added.

According to nan Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, an "untreated fever, peculiarly successful nan first trimester, increases nan consequence of miscarriage, commencement defects, and premature birth."

Sarah Richardson, a professor of nan history of science, arsenic good arsenic studies of women, gender and sexuality astatine Harvard University, said nan remarks astir Tylenol besides put women successful a position to beryllium scrutinized, for illustration whether they are doing capable aliases sacrificing capable for their children.

" We unrecorded successful an era of intensive unit astir parenting and expectations that 1 will do immoderate imaginable to optimize outcome," she said. "And there's very small tolerance for nan thought that location are galore things not nether our control."