Tag: pregnancy

Forced adoption redress scheme to offer compensation for impacted Tasmanians

Tasmanian mothers who were subjected to historical forced adoption practices will be able to seek compensation under a redress scheme, the state government has announced.

As many as 250,000 forced adoptions have taken place across Australia since the 1950s, with several state and federal inquiries having highlighted the trauma suffered under the practice.

In 1969, Tasmanian mother Robyn Cohen gave birth at the age of 18.

She said she was denied a chance to cradle or kiss her baby before they were put up for adoption without her consent, a move that laid the ground for years of major trauma and depression.

Ms Cohen said while the scheme “will go one step in my journey towards healing”, she was concerned extensive consultation would delay it.

“I’m 75, many [of the] other women are older than I am,” she said.

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FDA Stayed Silent As Internal Reports About Potential Tylenol Risks Piled Up

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defied the advice of its own drug safety experts to warn pregnant women about Tylenol for nearly a decade, internal reports and presentations obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation reveal.

FDA rank-and-file scientists repeatedly recommended the agency release information about Tylenol in pregnancy across three scientific reviews conducted in 2016, 2019, 2022 and two memos, one from the FDA’s maternal health division in 2016 and one from the FDA’s urological health division in 2017.

The scientific literature posits many plausible drivers of autism, the most well-established of which are genetic, and the FDA drug safety experts acknowledged that the research linking the condition to Tylenol is far from ironclad.

Still, as alarm bells rang within FDA headquarters and the boardrooms of Tylenol’s manufacturers, pregnant women heard nothing from either the government or the manufacturers about the potential risks until the September announcement by President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

FDA leadership declined to update its webpage about over-the-counter painkillers in pregnancy, repeatedly falling back on language first issued in January 2015. But that statement simply acknowledged that “FDA is aware of concerns” about Tylenol and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), citing just one scientific paper.

At the urging of Trump and Kennedy, FDA finally released a nuanced statement in September cautioning pregnant women about Tylenol while acknowledging that aspirin, ibuprofen and high fevers all pose their own risks. That move was first recommended by an FDA drug safety expert nine years earlier.

The DCNF obtained the FDA documents from the law firm Keller Postman LLC, which brought a class action lawsuit against Tylenol maker Kenvue, a legally independent spinoff of Johnson & Johnson. The personal injury law firm, which often brings class action lawsuits, obtained the documents from FDA via the Freedom of Information Act.

Tylenol, a brand name for acetaminophen, first received FDA approval in 1955 before modern drug laws tightened clinical trial requirements in 1962.

Some experts argue that neurological damage occurs due to a toxic byproduct of acetaminophen called NAPQI. Babies and children with autism may struggle to metabolize the drug, resulting in higher levels of NAPQI, which kills cells.

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Judge Orders HHS to Rescind Changes to Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs

The Health and Human Services Department (HHS) must rescind changes it imposed to teen pregnancy prevention programs, a federal judge ruled on Oct. 7.

Updated conditions for organizations carrying out the programs, which cited executive orders from President Donald Trump, were so vague that the organizations could not know how to comply, Judge Beryl Howell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said in a 65-page decision.

“The Policy Notice mandates compliance now, without providing plaintiffs with any meaningful standard for achieving that compliance,” Howell said.

She ordered HHS to vacate the notice laying out the updated conditions for grant recipients.

An HHS spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that the department would not comment on litigation. The spokesperson pointed to the news release for the policy, which states in part that the update “safeguards the rights of parents to protect their children from content that undermines their religious beliefs.”

Under the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, created by Congress in 2009, HHS provides money to organizations to carry out “medically accurate and age appropriate programs that reduce teen pregnancy.” Most of the funds go to programs that “have been proven effective through rigorous evaluation to reduce teenage pregnancy, behavioral risk factors underlying teenage pregnancy, or other associated risk factors.”

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Mount Sinai: Prenatal Acetaminophen Exposure Increases Risks of Autism and ADHD in Children, According to Analysis of 46 Global Studies

Amid growing concern over neurodevelopmental disorders, a recent study from Mount Sinai Hospital has reignited the debate surrounding acetaminophen, commonly known as paracetamol or Tylenol.

This analgesic, used by over 50% of pregnant women worldwide to relieve pain and fever, maybe linked to an increased risk of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in their children.

The report, published in August 2025 in the journal Environmental Health, analyzed 46 previous studies from international groups.

It applied the Navigation Guide methodology, a rigorous framework for evaluating environmental evidence. The findings show a consistent association: prenatal acetaminophen exposure increases the risk of autism by 19% (odds ratio 1.19) and ADHD by 26% (odds ratio 1.26).

Diddier Prada, MD, PhD, lead researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, emphasized: “Our findings indicate that higher-quality studies are more likely to show a link between prenatal acetaminophen exposure and elevated risks of autism and ADHD.”

The analysis included 20 studies on ADHD, eight on autism, and 18 on other neurodevelopmental disorders. This is not an isolated finding. A 2019 Johns Hopkins study, based on umbilical cord blood samples from 996 children, found that high acetaminophen levels tripled the risk of autism (up to 3.62 times) and doubled the risk of ADHD (up to 2.86 times).

Researchers measured metabolites in blood at birth and followed the children for an average of 8.9 years. Another study, funded by the NIH in 2025, confirmed similar patterns: the middle third of exposure increased the risk of ADHD by 2.26 times and autism by 2.14 times.

These data come from cohorts such as the Boston Birth Cohort and the Nurses’ Health Study II. The underlying biology points to concerning mechanisms. Acetaminophen crosses the placental barrier and can induce oxidative stress, disrupt hormones, and cause epigenetic changes that interfere with fetal brain development. The risk appears heightened in the third trimester, when the brain develops rapidly.

In September 2025, the U.S. FDA responded with a letter to clinicians, initiating changes to product labels like Tylenol’s. It cited “accumulated evidence” of an association with autism and ADHD, recommending minimal doses and short-term use.

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HHS Resurfaces Old Tylenol Post Warning Pregnant Women NOT to Use Their Product

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) resurfaced an eight-year-old tweet from Tylenol’s account.

The timing is ominous: the administration is now aggressively pushing a narrative linking Tylenol (acetaminophen) use in pregnancy to autism in children.

Just days ago, President Trump sounded the alarm on the potential link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and skyrocketing autism rates in children – a connection that’s been buried by the deep state bureaucrats at the FDA for far too long.

As reported by Bloomberg, HHS reposted the circa 2017 message on its official X account, with the chilling tag “No caption needed.”

The resurfaced statement from Tylenol’s official account bluntly told a concerned user:

“We actually don’t recommend using any of our products while pregnant. Thank you for taking the time to voice your concerns today.”

According to PBS, “Kenvue said in a statement that ‘sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism.” The company pointed to scientific reviews by multiple government regulators worldwide, including those previously published by the FDA.”

However in 2019, Tylenol also openly admitted: “It’d be great to touch base real quick since we haven’t tested Tylenol to be used during pregnancy (and see what coupons we have for baby!)”

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Pregnant Liberal Woman Suffers Fatal Tylenol Overdose After Trying to “Prove Trump Wrong” — Now Allegedly on Ventilator Fighting for Her Life: REPORT

Nicole Sirotek, founder of American Frontline Nurses, claimed that she received a frantic 4 a.m. call from a distraught husband whose pregnant wife is now on a ventilator after overdosing on Tylenol.

According to Sirotek, the woman, who was between 23 and 25 weeks pregnant, attempted to ingest massive amounts of Tylenol in an effort to “prove Donald Trump wrong” after his recent remarks linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump on Monday announced that the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, can increase the risk of autism when used by pregnant women.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tylenol is tied to autism, ADHD, and liver toxicity in children.

“Today, the FDA will issue a physician’s notice about the risk of acetaminophen during pregnancy and begin the process to initiate a safety label change,” Secretary Kennedy said. “There is a potential association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including later diagnosis for ADHD and autism.”

Following the historic announcement, pregnant leftists took to TikTok to mock Trump and RFK Jr.’s warning about the drug. As one will see, X users collected several videos of these snarky libs popping Tylenol pills while acting like they’re performing some act of defiance.

Talk about the height of arrogance with little regard for the little human being inside of them.

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Pregnant Liberal Women Post Videos Downing Tylenol to Own Trump: This Is an ‘Attack on Women’

Some pregnant liberal women are posting videos of themselves downing acetaminophen — commonly known as Tylenol — following the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) announcement on Monday in which President Donald Trump recommended pregnant woman limit intake of the drug due to possible associations with an “increased risk of autism.”

Trump made the recommendation on Monday alongside Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. Trump’s administration has made it clear from the beginning that they are determined to identify the possible causes in the stunning rise of autism in children in recent years, deeming it “among the most alarming public health developments in history.” Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 1 in 31 children in the United States have autism.

“I think I can say that there are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills that have no autism. That have no autism. Does that tell you something? That’s currently, is that a correct statement by the way?” Trump said, as Kennedy said “there are some studies that suggest that.”

“Yeah, with the Amish for example,” Kennedy said.

Trump then announced that the FDA will be “notifying physicians that the use of acetaminophen — which is basically commonly known as Tylenol, during pregnancy can be associated with a very increased risk of autism,” Trump said.

Some liberal women have used this announcement as a way to “own” Trump, making videos of themselves downing Tylenol.

In one video, a woman shows off her pill with the caption, “here’s [sic] me, a PREGNANT woman, taking TYLENOL because I believe in science and not someone who has no medical background,” she wrote, making no mention that Trump did not randomly make this announcement based on his own opinion.

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RFK Jr. vaccine advisers to examine shots during pregnancy

A panel of federal vaccine advisers appointed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will launch a new review on the use of vaccines during pregnancy, the panel’s chair said.  

Martin Kulldorff, a statistician and former Harvard professor who chairs the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), made the announcement at the start of Thursday’s meeting, where panelists will consider recommendations related to the pediatric vaccine schedule, including hepatitis B. 

The panel is set to vote later Thursday on changing the current recommendation that infants receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. 

Another working group will examine the vaccines given between childhood and adolescence, Kulldorff said. 

Most of the working groups consider a singular vaccine or group of related vaccines, Kulldorff noted, not broad categories or the entire concept of a vaccine schedule. 

Thursday’s meeting comes after a tense Senate hearing Wednesday where former CDC Director Susan Monarez testified she was fired after refusing to rubber-stamp the panel’s recommendations before they were made. Kennedy handpicked the panelists, many of whom are critical about vaccinations, after firing their predecessors 

In his opening remarks, Kulldorff challenged nine former heads of the CDC to a public debate on vaccination, after they accused him and the panelists of being unqualified and of spreading “dangerous and unscientific views.”  

“False accusations that we and other respectable vaccine scientists are unscientific and dangerous anti-vaxxers, that just adds legitimacy to anti-vax positions, damaging both public health and the confidence in vaccines,” Kulldorff said.  

Kulldorff said if the former directors won’t have a debate, they shouldn’t be trusted. 

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Are Pregnant Women Being Told the Truth about Antidepressants?

Across the world, thousands of pregnant women are being prescribed antidepressants. Yet few are warned about the potential harms to their unborn babies.

That concern came to the forefront at a 2-hour expert panel convened last month by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), moderated by Dr Tracy Beth Høeg, the agency’s senior adviser for clinical sciences.

A lineup of doctors, scientists, and former regulators gathered to examine a thorny question: do selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) cause more harm than good when used during pregnancy?

Their opinions were not unanimous, but all agreed on one striking fact—there are no “gold-standard” randomised trials that have addressed the issue.

Instead of sparking serious debate, the panel was savaged by the media. The ferocity of the reaction only highlighted how difficult it has become to speak honestly when the message challenges psychiatric drugs.

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HHS Will Link Autism To Tylenol Use During Pregnancy, Wall Street Journal Reports

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce that autism is linked to the use of Tylenol during pregnancy in a report expected to be released this month, The Wall Street Journal reported today.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will also likely suggest that low levels of the vitamin folate also contribute to autism. The report will propose that a form of folate called folic acid, or leucovorin, can be used to treat symptoms of the disorder, according to the WSJ.

Acetaminophen, the ingredient found in hundreds of prescription and over-the-counter medicines — including Tylenol products — is routinely recommended for fever reduction and the relief of mild to moderate pain. Pregnant women commonly take it.

The drug has long been linked to liver toxicity, and several studies over the last decade — including one published last month by researchers at Harvard Medical School — have found that children exposed to the drug during pregnancy may be more likely to develop neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or ADHD.

Shares of Tylenol, made by McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a division of Kenvue, declined nearly 11% Friday after the WSJ published its report.

“Nothing is more important to us than the health and safety of the people who use our products,” a Kenvue spokeswoman told the WSJ. “We have continuously evaluated the science and continue to believe there is no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) says Tylenol is safe to use in pregnancy. In 2021, as more evidence of the link was emerging, the organization published a statement opposing a consensus statement supported by a group of 91 scientists in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology. The scientists said that a growing body of research suggests that prenatal exposure to the drug may alter fetal development and increase the risks of neurodevelopmental, reproductive and urogenital disorders.

“ACOG and obstetrician-gynecologists across the country have always identified acetaminophen as one of the only safe pain relievers for pregnant individuals during pregnancy,” the pharmaceutical industry-sponsored medical organization insisted.

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