When Leaders Blame Mothers: Why Trump’s Tylenol Claim Is Harmful to Families Like Ours

Being a parent carer is already a heavy enough load to carry. The sleepless nights, the endless appointments, the juggling of work, family, and the very real emotional weight of raising a child with complex needs. We don’t need extra guilt heaped on us from people who should know better.

And yet, that’s exactly what happened last week. U.S. President Donald Trump appeared on TV and claimed that Tylenol (aka paracetamol) causes autism. He urged women not to take it in pregnancy, and he presented the statement as fact.

Let’s be clear from the start: this claim is not backed by science.

What the Science Actually Says

Health authorities across the world – the World Health Organization, the European Medicines Agency, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the U.K.’s MHRA – all agree on one thing: there is no conclusive evidence linking paracetamol in pregnancy to autism.

Yes, researchers continue to study autism’s many causes, and like with all areas of medicine, new findings are always possible. But right now, there is no proof, no certainty, and no reason to scare parents with sweeping pronouncements.

For many of us, paracetamol is one of the few safe and effective options recommended in pregnancy. Suggesting that by following medical advice a mother may have “caused” her child’s autism is not just misleading, it is cruel.

The Weight of Blame

Parent carers already live under the microscope of blame. We are constantly told we aren’t doing enough therapies, or the “right” diets, or that if we just tried harder, our children would progress more quickly.

Now, we’re being told that something as ordinary as taking a painkiller could make us responsible for our child’s diagnosis. It’s a gut punch. A slap in the face to every parent who has ever sat through hours of assessments, heard the word “autism” spoken in a clinical tone, and gone home wondering what they did wrong.

You didn’t do anything wrong. And hearing otherwise, especially from global leaders, is devastating.

The Misogyny of It All

Notice who gets blamed here: mothers. Not fathers. Not society. Not the lack of early intervention or inclusive support.

This isn’t new. For decades, mothers have been accused of “causing” autism – from the old “refrigerator mother” theory to today’s vaccine and paracetamol myths. It’s misogyny dressed up as science. It holds women solely responsible for outcomes that are complex, biological, and most of all, nobody’s fault.

To hear this rhetoric from powerful men is galling. It feeds into a culture where women’s bodies and choices are endlessly scrutinised, judged, and shamed.

Why This Matters to Our Community

Parenting a child with complex needs is already hard enough. The emotional toll, the practical struggles, the fight for inclusion and access – these are battles we know too well.

When someone with a global platform stands up and says “this is your fault,” it adds another layer of stigma. It isolates us further. It makes our children’s existence sound like something to be explained away, rather than celebrated.

We don’t need blame. We need support. We need policies that prioritise accessibility, services that work, schools that welcome our children, and healthcare systems that don’t make us beg.

A Final Word to Fellow Parent Carers

If you saw those headlines and felt your heart sink, you are not alone. If you felt a wave of guilt crash over you, please hear this: you did not cause your child’s autism.

Autism is not your fault. Your child’s needs are not your fault. The difficulties we face as families are not our fault.

What is at fault are the systems and voices that keep shaming and blaming instead of building a more inclusive, supportive world. And together, we can keep pushing back.

Your child’s autism is not a failure. You are not to blame. And you are not alone.