US health secretary links autism to circumcision. Here's the truth

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr raked up a controversy Thursday (Oct 9) after he reasserted a link between autism and circumcision. According to some theory, Tylenol, a pain reliver causes the disorder. He also claimed that people are opposing the theory are motivated by hatred for President Donald Trump, at a meeting of the Cabinet.

"There's two studies that show children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism. It's highly likely because they are given Tylenol," said Kennedy during the meeting.

However, medical experts are pushing back against the claims.

Circumcision is a surgical procedure that removes the foreskin from a boy's penis. It is also a part of cultural, religious practices largely prevalent in the Muslim community.

According to a 2025 study from Johns Hopkins Medicine the practice of Circumcision had decreased from 54.1% to 49.3% - a drop of nearly 5% - from 2012 to 2022.

What study was Kennedy referring to

While making the statement, Kennedy did not cite any study but experts say he was actually trying to point to a 2015 study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine which looked at ritual circumcision and the risk of autism spectrum disorder in boys under the age of 10 in Denmark.

It found that those who had undergone the procedure, had high chances of developing autism than other boys in the study. However, Researchers noted that they had no data on painkillers or anesthetics used, and thus couldn’t be very sure whether the use of the painkiller Tylenol was linked to autism.

While another study conducted in 2013, which could have also been a referral point of Kennedy, said that there could be correlation, not causation, and that their study may have mistakes and biases.