It Could Happen Here — Autism and RFK Jr.’s War on Pregnant People

Cool Zone Media / iHeartPodcasts | Aired: September 24, 2025
Host: Mia Wong
Guest: Crystal (unionized abortion care worker, aka Clozilla)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the Trump administration and RFK Jr.’s recent campaign asserting a debunked and dangerous link between Tylenol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy and autism (and ADHD) in children. Host Mia Wong and abortion care worker Crystal dissect the medical misinformation behind this narrative, connect it to broader eugenics policies and control over pregnant people’s bodies, and discuss the real-world dangers such rhetoric creates for public health and marginalized groups.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Newest Anti-Autism Conspiracy (03:05–05:16)

• Mia introduces “Anti-Autism Week”: Jokingly frames the episode as another round of attacks on marginalized identities:

  “...your host wakes up every morning and rolls a D6 to determine whether the government wants to exterminate her for being trans, autistic or Chinese.” (03:05, Mia Wong)

• RFK Jr. and Trump claim Tylenol causes autism and ADHD:

  • Administration promised to "find the cause of autism by the end of the summer."
  • They blame Tylenol taken during pregnancy, which is not backed by science.

• Lack of media coverage on ADHD: Crystal points out the administration also connects Tylenol to ADHD, which is largely going unreported.

  “They are also claiming that taking Tylenol if you're pregnant causes ADHD, a thing which you think would be noteworthy to point out, but has just not.” (04:30, Crystal)

2. Deep Roots in Anti-Vaxx Grifting and Eugenics (05:16–11:26)

• Return of vaccine misinformation:

  • Trump, RFK Jr., and allies repeat outdated anti-vaccine tropes, including long-debunked claims about mercury/aluminum in vaccines and the Wakefield MMR scare.

• Andrew Wakefield’s legacy:

  • Recaps how Wakefield started the modern anti-vax movement with fraudulent research.

• Absurd pseudo-scientific claims:

  • Trump apparently claimed, “Cuba doesn't have Tylenol, so they don't have autism,” and that Amish communities have lower rates due to avoiding medications.

• RFK Jr. appropriates “Believe all women”:

  “President Trump believes that we should be listening to these mothers instead of gaslighting and marginalizing them...” (Quote read by Mia Wong, 07:29)

  • Crystal notes the hypocrisy, as RFK Jr. uses #MeToo language to push anti-vax claims, despite being accused of sexual assault.

    “RFK Jr noted repeatedly accused of sexual assault... is doing believe all women but about vaccines causing autism.” (08:14, Crystal)

• Promotion of “natural” suffering as eugenics:

  • FDA commissioner argues against treating children’s fevers, harkening back to survival-of-the-fittest and eugenic thinking.

    “If the child is strong, then they'll go through it naturally and they'll become stronger. And it's like, no, that's eugenics.” (09:48, Crystal)

• Core argument: The policy’s true purpose is to eliminate or reduce autistic births—a eugenics goal—while actively harming those in need of medical care.

3. Tylenol in Pregnancy: Medical Reality vs. Political Rhetoric (16:49–22:24)

• Why Tylenol is targeted:

  • It’s nearly the only pain/fever medication considered safe during pregnancy; attacking it is an attack on pregnant people’s right to comfortable, safe care.
  • Other pain meds (NSAIDs, opioids) are either risky or dangerous in pregnancy.

• False medical authority:

  • FDA commissioner brags about refusing Tylenol for his pregnant wife, suggesting doctors wrongly “push” it, while touting unproven alternatives (e.g., “prescription Lecoverin”).

    “They pushed her to take acetaminophen for a low grade fever. She said no. And then they looked at me and I said, absolutely no.” (19:26, Crystal reading quote)

• Medical consensus ignored:

  • Professional organizations (Physicians for Reproductive Health, ACOG) affirm Tylenol’s safety in pregnancy.

    “There’s decades of studies of Tylenol being safe to take during pregnancy. There’s ACOG... saying like, hey, Tylenol is safe during pregnancy.” (21:22, Mia Wong)

4. Medical Disinformation, Surveillance & Broader Control (23:21–25:58)

• Controlling pregnant bodies:

  • Disinformation about Tylenol forms part of a wider agenda: abortion bans, criminalizing miscarriage, and regulating every aspect of pregnancy.
  • Any substance could be arbitrarily targeted, setting dangerous precedent.

• Link to abortion pill attacks:

  • Government’s false claims about Tylenol foreshadow similar attacks on abortion medications (e.g., mifepristone), undermining reproductive autonomy.

• Extending to other fields:

  • The same strategies are used to limit transgender healthcare and vaccine access.

  “We let it happen with abortion, and then now, all of a sudden, now we can't take Tylenol during pregnancy because it causes autism.” (26:39, Mia Wong)

5. The Landscape of State Violence & Collapse of Public Health (31:40–39:09)

• Wider context: deliberate erosion of healthcare systems:

  • Black maternal mortality, ob/gyn “deserts,” infant mortality, hospital closures—all worsening as resources shift away from real crises into moral panics about autism.

• Stigmatization as control:

  • Focuses on how the administration targets vulnerable groups (autistic people, trans people, pregnant people) as a means to inflict suffering, distract from systemic collapse, and profit from anti-vax/anti-medical grifting.

• Hope in public resistance:

  • Crystal notes this authoritarian platform is deeply unpopular and ultimately unenforceable if mass non-compliance and dissent persist.

    “Things that they do can be opposed. And when people oppose them en masse, they lose… the violence of the state only functions insofar as people allow it to function.” (31:40, Crystal)

6. Closing Thoughts & Call to Action (39:15–End)

• Repeat the medical truth:

  “I just want to say again that it's safe to take Tylenol during pregnancy and it doesn't cause autism.” (39:15, Mia Wong)

• Resources encouraged:
  • ACOG, Physicians for Reproductive Health (PRH), and consulting your doctor.
• Advocacy for sharing correct information:
  • Emphasized the importance of combating misinformation with reliable medical sources.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the real motivation:

  “The thing that they're trying to do is get rid of autistic people… it's absolutely hideous.” (10:20, Crystal)

• On the fraudulent science linking Tylenol to autism:

  “Autism predates Tylenol… Tylenol came to be in like the 1950s and, you know, autism existed before that.” (17:02, Mia Wong)

• On the state’s priorities:

  “They definitely care more about there being less autistic children than… addressing infant mortality.” (11:26, Mia Wong)

• On medical autonomy:

  “It's cool to ask your doctor stuff, like, just ask them questions… That's what they are there for.” (39:38, Mia Wong & 39:50, Crystal)

• On living under intersectional threat:

  “[Describes the show’s premise:] … to determine whether the government wants to exterminate her for being trans, autistic or Chinese.” (03:05, Mia Wong)

Important Timestamps

• 03:05 — Episode opens; “Autism Week” description and introduction of guest Crystal.
• 04:30 — Media’s failure to report Tylenol/ADHD claims.
• 05:16–08:08 — Discussion of Trump/RFK Jr. positions, anti-vax movement roots.
• 09:31 — Debunking the “fevers are good” argument by FDA Commissioner.
• 10:20–12:17 — Eugenics as core ideology behind these policies.
• 16:49 — Deep dive: why Tylenol is vital in pregnancy.
• 19:26 — FDA Commissioner’s personal anecdote & push for unproven alternatives.
• 21:22 — Medical community’s response & consensus.
• 23:21 — Surveillance & criminalization of pregnancy.
• 25:31 — Parallel to abortion medication disinformation.
• 31:40 — Crystal’s reflections on state violence, resistance and hope.
• 34:45 — The link between policy, hospital closures, worsening health outcomes.
• 36:38 — Public education attacks & lack of support for autistic and trans people.
• 39:15 — Closing: Tylenol is safe & doesn’t cause autism. Encouragement to check reliable medical resources.

Suggested Resources (from discussion)

• ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists): https://www.acog.org/
• Physicians for Reproductive Health: https://prh.org/
• Consult your OB/GYN or healthcare provider for personal medical decisions.

Tone & Language

The episode mixes gallows humor, exasperation, and solidarity with vulnerable listeners. Crystal and Mia combine academic rigor, lived experience as healthcare workers and marginalized people, and a refusal to sugarcoat the bleakness of rising authoritarian health policies. The language is direct, sometimes profane, and always conversational, including frequent reminders to question authority and trust medical professionals over conspiracy news cycles.

Summary Takeaway

This episode is a rigorous, impassioned dismantling of the right-wing’s turn toward eugenicist, anti-science policy surrounding autism, exemplified by attacks on Tylenol in pregnancy. The hosts provide medical facts, context for broader state violence against marginalized groups, and a call for resistance, mutual aid, and accurate information sharing.