Sid Dinerstein spent his Sept. 24 Newsmax column gushing over Robert Kennedy Jr.:
Unbeknownst to most everyone, RFK, Jr. had spent most of his adult life working on health issues, with particular attention being paid to COVID-19, vaccines, and Autism.
Our national health conversation was about to undergo a fundamental change.
[…]And now, to further his and his department’s decisive actions on our healthcare, he very recently declared he will hand down a notice to doctors about the risks of acetaminophen use during pregnancy, with the goal of adding a safety warning label.
Yes, everybody’s talking about RFK, Jr.
That’s the best news we’ve heard about our nation’s health in a long time.
Unfortunately for Dinerstein, Kennedy’s blaming acetaminophen — best known under the Tylenol brand — for autism caused more problems than it solved, with even Kennedy itself walking back his own guidance. It began the same day as Dinerstein’s column, with a Newsmax article by Mark Swanson detailint how “The White House on Wednesday highlighted an eight-year-old Tylenol tweet advising against use during pregnancy, pairing it with a photo of President Donald Trump holding a hat that read, ‘Trump was right about everything.'” From there, Newsmax’s advocacy was wavering, though refusing to admit that Trump aned Kennedy were wrong:
- Dr. Oz Walks Back Some of WH Tylenol Guidance
- Sen. Thune Splits From Trump on Acetaminophen, Speech
- Doctors Reassure Pregnant Women About Tylenol
- Trump Underscores Tylenol Warning: ‘Don’t Use’
- Dr. Crandall: Consult Your Doctor Before Taking Meds During Pregnancy
- Report: Tylenol Maker Privately Admitted Likely Autism Link
- RFK Jr. Allies: Autism Debate May Spur GOP Voter Turnout
- RFK Jr.’s Autism Claims Shake GOP Midterm Playbook
- Trump Again Urges Pregnant Women to Avoid Tylenol, Alter Vaccine Schedule
- RFK Jr.: Not Enough Data to Say Tylenol Causes Autism
Meanwhile, Newsmax gave a platform to a politician — not a medical professional – to push these allegations. An anonymously written Oct. 28 article touted how “Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Johnson & Johnson and its spinoff Kenvue, accusing them of concealing evidence that Tylenol may increase autism risk when taken during pregnancy.” The same day, Paxton appeared on Newsmax to peddle his narrative:
On “The Chris Salcedo Show,” Paxton, a Republican, said his office reviewed studies showing a correlation between prenatal acetaminophen use and increased rates of autism and ADHD.
“We have looked at the studies showing that taking acetaminophen while you’re pregnant increases the risk of ADHD and also other disorders, including autism,” Paxton said. “We are suing them because of the damage that’s been done to potentially millions of children across the country.”
He argued Johnson & Johnson “knew they had liability” as early as 2017, when a social media post reportedly raised questions about acetaminophen’s safety for pregnant women.
“They made an effort to push the acetaminophen part of their company off to a separate company and totally disassociate, trying to protect themselves from liability,” Paxton said.
Paxtorn returned to Newsmax a few days later to peddle his spiel again:
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appeared on Newsmax, Friday, to discuss his recent lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and Kenvue over the risk Tylenol poses to pregnant women.
[…]Paxton told “Rob Schmitt Tonight” he had previously sued Johnson & Johnson only to see them move their liabilities over to another company.
He said the company put a warning that acetaminophen may be bad for pregnant mothers.
“We think that we have a legitimate lawsuit,” Paxton said. “And through discovery, we think we’ll find out more.”
It was not explained how he, as a politician, knows more than medical professionals on this issue.