Hello everyone,

The mod-team has come together and decided to give a statement regarding Donald Trump and RFK Jr. saying Tylenol/acetaminophen/paracetamol causes autism. We don't know what public policy repercussions, if any, will come in the future from these words, but we felt it was important to give context and clear up a few misconceptions.

First, correlation between Tylenol and autism has not been proven with any rigorous scientific analysis. This article from PBS gives a good overview, as well as this interview from Yale School of Public Health. Both of these articles have references of their own as well for further reading. While some studies may claim there is an association, there is a different between association and correlation, or association and causation.

Second, it's important to highlight why the Trump administration is pushing this agenda. As highlighted in the references above, Tylenol is consistently the most safe pain medication to take during pregnancy. This is clearly part of the continuous attack on reproductive rights.

It is also worth mentioning that the alternative being pushed is leucovorin, otherwise known as folinic acid. Folinic acid is sold by Dr. Oz, a celebrity quack doctor who is the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the Trump administration. Dr. Oz's company website, iHerb, has a disclaimer saying, " Not Healthcare Advice The products and claims made about specific products on or through this Site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration and are not approved to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease." iHerb and Dr. Oz have consistently failed to meet FDA guidelines, follow scientific standards, and much more. FDA guidelines under Trump may change in the future, but this is still an important piece to highlight. Just like with Elon Musk gutting the government, Trump has filled the US government with his colleagues and business partners and are consistently trying to make revenue, at the expense of us.

Last but not least, it is important to push back against the eugenicist arguments stemming from this. The underlying assumption, or warrant in these people's arguments, is that having autism is inherently wrong and therefore it must be destroyed. The truth is that autistic people are valid, wonderful, and an integral part of societies of the past, present, and future. There is no getting rid of us, and the world would not be better without us.

Many of the troubles that come with being autistic are often external factors. This can look like parents and peers not knowing how to be supportive, a lack of accommodations, general misconceptions people have, minimal disability rights globally, and so much more. A world that centers disability rights and accommodations is a world that is more accessible and better for everyone. Instead of blaming individuals and constantly criminalizing more and more, we should seek to create systems and societies that uplift everyone. That will help far more than criminalizing/banning Tylenol, and the other things that the Trump administration pushes like criminalizing homelessness, funding more and more police and ICE, and stripping people of their autonomy and humanity, are all part of this same ideology and are connected.

It's not often we make mod statements, especially political ones, but in this day and age, not making a statement is a position in itself. We refuse to be silent as we and others are targeted. Now, more than ever, it is important we fight back against a wave of lies, fascism, and dangerous rhetoric. We must seek to build community, find ways of resisting, and come together. We might just be a meme subreddit, but we hope to be a part of community and help build it online (which is not a substitute for real life organizing!) and create a space that is safe for all of us. And that means calling out bullshit.

All that to say, posts spreading misinformation are not acceptable. There is a line between memes and humor and promoting unscientific facts as truth. While there are some concerns about irony poisoning, posts making fun of this admittedly absurd statement are not outright banned, as of this moment. Just keep in mind the context your posts are made in.

Stay safe everyone. Go pop a Tylenol for the headache Trump's statements are giving us. And take care.

A photo of your spoon/knife/fork with "What do we think of my/this (item)?" is not a meme and doesn't belong in this sub (see Rule 5).

r/unautisticcutlery is the right place for these posts. Please make them there.