Topics: Pregnancy, Politics, Donald Trump, Health, Women's Health, Social Media, Twitter
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has come under fire for a huge error he made about pregnancy during a rant about 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'.
During a cabinet meeting yesterday (9 October), the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services made some pretty wild claims.
First of all, he dropped the bombshell claim that circumcision 'doubles' the likelihood of developing autism, alleging that it's more likely they're given Tylenol (or paracetamol in the UK) to manage the pain.
It comes after he and US President Donald Trump last month claimed that women should stop taking Tylenol during pregnancy, as it was contributing to rising autism rates in children.
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Paracetamol has always been considered safe in pregnancy, and since Trump's comments on the drug, many medical experts have come forward to refute the claims.
During yesterday's meeting, RFK Jr went into a rant about 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' - a derogatory term for those who have negative opinions about the Republican leader.
However, during his tirade, he made a bizarre false claim about female anatomy.
"This morning before I came in here somebody showed me a TikTok video of a pregnant woman, eight months pregnant," RFK Jr said, before adding: "She is saying 'f**k Trump' and gobbling Tylenol with her baby in her placenta."
He continued: "The level of Trump Derangement Syndrome has now left the political landscapes and it has now in the realm of pathology.
"That a mother could overwhelm millions of years of maternal instinct to put her baby at risk and all you have to do is look at the studies."
Now, if you didn't spot it, the error is that RFK Jr said the woman had a 'baby in her placenta' which is of course not true at all.
The placenta is an organ that forms in the womb during pregnancy and is connected to a developing baby by a tubelike structure called the umbilical cord. But the baby is not inside it.
People on social media have been speedy to pick up on the glaring mistake, with one Twitter user writing: "RFK Jr. should brush up on his anatomy cause babies don’t grow in the placenta."
A second chimed in with: "If you don't know the difference between a baby and a placenta, you shouldn't be in charge of health policy."
And a third added: "If she had a baby in her placenta, she must have been in an awful lot of pain."
A fourth sarcastically joked: "I kind of feel like the bigger problem for this woman is that her baby is in her placenta no?"
Meanwhile, someone else commented: "If her baby is in her placenta, she’s in more trouble than taking a Tylenol."
Kenvue - the manufacturer of Tylenol - previously denied Trump's comments, saying in a statement that 'independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism'.
"The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism," it added.
Tyla has contacted the White House for comment.
