Vice President JD Vance weighed in on Donald Trump‘s warning for pregnant women to ‘fight like hell’ against pain and not take Tylenol because of what he suspects are potential links to autism.
Vance advised pregnant women to ‘lean on their doctors’ and discuss potential harmful side effects, in an exclusive interview with News Nation.
The vice president’s takeaway was to use the medicine with caution.
‘We know some of these medications have side effects,’ Vance said. ‘We know that even despite those side effects, sometimes they’re necessary.’
Vance drew on personal experience where his children were sick and considered giving them Tylenol, but a doctor advised him to steer clear since the side effects were not ‘worthwhile in this case.’
‘Maybe if you’re talking about a case of very high fever, of course you’re going to have to take something to deal with that.’
‘The fundamental argument that the CDC is making, that Bobby Kennedy is making, is that these drugs do have side effects and we’ve got to follow the science wherever it leads.’
Vice President JD Vance, father of three, weighed in on Donald Trump ‘s warning for pregnant women to ‘fight like hell not to take’ Tylenol because of potential links to autism
President Donald Trump, in front of U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., delivers remarks linking autism to the use of popular pain medication Tylenol for pregnant women and children
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, pushed back on Trump’s autism claim
The Vice President added he believes ‘being more mindful’ of medication side effects is ‘a good thing for everybody.’ Ultimately, pregnant women should follow their doctor’s advice.
Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who leads the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, pushed back on Trump’s autism claim.
‘The preponderance of evidence shows that this is not the case,’ he wrote on X.
Vance responded if Cassidy’s argument is to ‘come up with more evidence’ and ‘more science’, then he is ‘absolutely on board.’
Vance’s comments came two days after Dr. Mehmet Oz told TMZ that pregnant women with high temperatures should take the fever-reducing drug.
On Tuesday, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Oz said pregnant women should, ‘Take [Tylenol] when it’s appropriate.’
‘If you have a high fever….the doctor’s almost certainly going to prescribe you something, Tylenol might be one of the things they give,’ the celebrity doctor told TMZ Live hosts Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere.
He insisted ‘that’s not the problem,’ and clarified that low-grade fevers or minor aches and pains are not a good reason for pregnant women to turn to Tylenol.
Still, Oz admitted that it ‘might be true’ taking acetaminophen for these reasons during pregnancy is actually safe – but that the science is not conclusive.
Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Mehmet Oz gestures as he delivers remarks during a press conference to announce a link between autism and Tylenol
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivers remarks during a press conference to announce a link between autism and Tylenol
Oz admitted that it ‘might be true’ taking acetaminophen for these reasons during pregnancy is actually safe – but that the science is not conclusive
Vance and Oz’s statements go directly against Trump’s comments at Monday’s announcement from the White House where he said pregnant women should almost never take Tylenol.
‘With Tylenol, don’t take it. Don’t take it!’ he shouted.
HHS and CMS did not respond to the Daily Mail when reached for comment about Dr. Oz’s comments.
But the White House said that his comments were not out of line with Trump’s pronouncement.
Dr. Oz was at the press conference with the president along with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also appeared more hesitant than Trump to outright tell pregnant women not to take the pain relieving drug.
When Trump turned over the microphone to Kennedy, he said: ‘I hope I didn’t ruin his day – but that’s the way I feel. I’ve been very strong on this subject for a long time.’
‘This group has worked so hard on it, but I’d like to be a little bit more – a little speedier in the process of a recommendation, because there’s no harm going quickly,’ the president insisted, suggesting that Kennedy and others were more hesitant to make the recommendation.
RFK Jr., who has made it his mission to get to the bottom of surging autism rates in the US, was less vocal about advising women against taking Tylenol when pregnant.
He did not definitively tell pregnant women not to take Tylenol.
Acetaminophen has been the most common pain reliever and fever reducer for pregnant women for decades.
In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, claims it’s the only safe pain reliever for pregnant women.
