Children who are circumcised early have double the risk of autism, RJK Jr claims
Robert F Kennedy Junior has claimed that circumcision raises a child’s risk of being diagnosed with autism.
Speaking at today’s televised cabinet meeting, the Health and Human Services Secretary said: ‘There’s two studies which show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they were given Tylenol.
‘So, you know, none of this… is positive, but all of it is stuff that we should be paying attention to.’
These most recent comments follow a press conference last month in which the administration linked acetaminophen, brand name Tylenol, use during pregnancy to autism in children.
RFK Jr did not specify which studies he was referring to, but one of the only ones on the topic is a large 2015 paper on 340,000 boys that found those who were circumcised were 46 percent more likely to be diagnosed with autism than those who were not.
In this study, however, the researchers investigated the relationship between pain and autism, and made no mention of acetaminophen.
The Trump administration has vowed to get to the bottom of America’s high autism rate, which has surged from one in 1,000 children in the 1980s to one in 31 today.
Boys are about four to five times more likely to be diagnosed with the condition than girls, according to the latest estimates, with patients suffering from symptoms including developmental delays and speech problems.
Robert F Kennedy Junior is pictured above at today’s televised cabinet meeting where he made the claim
RFK Jr made the comments during the President’s hour-long cabinet meeting today.
Other members of the cabinet were silent while he made the claim, but Trump nodded, seemingly in response to RFK Jr saying that the US should ‘pay attention to’ all potential causes of autism.
About 80 percent of men in the US are circumcised, estimates suggest, with many parents opting for the operation because of religious beliefs or the belief that it is more hygienic and can help to prevent disease.
It tends to take place within a few days of birth, with guidance from hospitals, including Texas Children’s, saying it is safe to give a baby acetaminophen afterward to reduce pain.
