RFK Jr. Claims Circumcision is Linked to Autism?

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is facing a firestorm after suggesting circumcision is “highly likely” linked to autism — a remark that health experts and civil rights advocates are calling “reckless” and “deeply offensive.”

During a recent cabinet meeting at the White House, Kennedy went on an unprompted tangent after President Trump briefly handed him the floor. “There are many, many confirmation studies,” Kennedy said. “There’s two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It’s highly likely because they’re given Tylenol.”

The claim — which echoes debunked anti-vaccine rhetoric Kennedy has pushed for decades — immediately drew alarm from medical professionals and Jewish groups alike.

“Not only is this scientifically absurd, it’s culturally inflammatory,” said Dr. Rachel Weiss, a pediatric neurologist at Johns Hopkins. “Circumcision is a routine and often religiously significant procedure. To suggest it causes autism is not only false, it borders on hate speech.”

Kennedy’s remarks follow similar comments by President Trump just weeks earlier, when he warned pregnant women against using Tylenol.

“They [the FDA] are recommending that women limit Tylenol use during pregnancy unless medically necessary,” Trump said at a September 22 press conference. “Don’t take it if you’re pregnant. Don’t give it to the baby after the baby is born.”

Although Trump conceded his advice came from “common sense” rather than medical data, he framed the warning as a matter of parental caution. “I talk about a lot of common sense,” he said. “And they have that too — a lot.”

Medical experts, however, slammed the administration’s growing fixation on Tylenol. “There’s no legitimate evidence linking acetaminophen to autism,” said Dr. Michael Lanford, a pharmacology professor at UCLA. “The problem here isn’t confusion — it’s disinformation coming from people in power.”

Kennedy’s reference to circumcision quickly triggered outrage online. Critics accused him of invoking age-old anti-Semitic tropes by targeting a practice central to Jewish faith and identity.

“RFK Jr. just blamed Jewish parents for autism,” one X user posted. “This is disgusting and dangerous.”

Another wrote, “So is it the mothers taking Tylenol or the babies being circumcised? Pick a conspiracy, man.”

The American Jewish Congress issued a statement Thursday condemning Kennedy’s comments as “reckless pseudoscience with anti-Semitic overtones,” adding that “no federal official should ever weaponize medical misinformation to stigmatize a religious community.”

Kennedy’s appointment as Secretary of Health and Human Services in President Trump’s second term was controversial from the start. Long before joining the administration, RFK Jr. was known for spreading vaccine skepticism — including false claims about mercury in childhood vaccines and COVID-19 booster shots.

Since taking office, he’s continued to promote fringe medical theories under the guise of “independent inquiry.” In June, he claimed “Wi-Fi exposure in schools” was contributing to the rise in ADHD diagnoses.

“Instead of focusing on real public health challenges — like hospital staffing or reproductive rights — we’re seeing junk science from the highest levels of government,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). “It’s terrifying.”

Executives at Johnson & Johnson, which manufactures Tylenol, are said to be reviewing legal options after what one company insider called “a sustained campaign of defamation” by federal officials.

“If the administration continues to misrepresent scientific data, we will take appropriate legal steps to defend our product and the public’s trust,” the source told Reuters.

On social media, critics were even less restrained. “Tylenol is going to sue the living hell out of this administration,” one user wrote.

Kennedy, who once positioned himself as a voice for “medical freedom,” is now being described as “the most dangerous conspiracy theorist in government.”

“He’s not just some crank with a podcast anymore — he’s shaping national health policy,” said CNN analyst and former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. “And that should scare everyone.”

Even some within Trump’s circle are said to be growing uneasy with Kennedy’s antics. One senior aide, speaking anonymously, told reporters, “The president likes RFK because he’s loyal — but the medical community’s losing it. Every time he opens his mouth, it’s another mess to clean up.”

As the administration continues to blur the line between politics and science, Kennedy’s remarks mark yet another moment in which ideology has trumped evidence. And while public outrage is mounting, for now, the Health Secretary shows no sign of backing down.

“We’re doing the studies,” Kennedy told reporters as he left the meeting. “People will see.”