Briel Addresses Tylenol Misinformation, Reckless Pseudoscience from HHS Secretary

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.— State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, led a resolution Wednesday condemning Trump administration Secretary of Health and Human Services and fringe agitator, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and calling for his ouster; as well as pushing back against the reckless and irresponsible spreading of junk science around Tylenol and pregnancy.

“Autism is not a disease to be ‘cured.’ It is a condition millions of Americans live with and experience uniquely each day. It is gut wrenching to hear Robert Kennedy Jr, a person in such a high position of power, call people like us ‘broken’ or say our children will never live full lives. He’s not only wrong, but these words endanger real families and real lives,” said Briel. “This has only been exacerbated by his recent comments advising pregnant mothers to avoid safe medications like Tylenol—an unfounded claim that can compromise maternal and fetal health.”

Recently, Kennedy sparked renewed outrage and derision by claiming, without facts or evidence, that acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, causes autism when taken by mothers during pregnancy. Critics immediately pointed out that these claims are cruelly dehumanizing toward those living with autism—as well as promoting falsehoods about legitimate treatments in a way that endangers maternal and fetal health by increasing the risk of miscarriage, preterm birth, and complications due to untreated fever.

Briel’s House Resolution 507 condemns Kennedy’s documented history of promoting objective falsehoods and suppressing real medical science, ultimately making him unqualified to influence a modern healthcare system. Kennedy has long been known as a prominent source of baseless and discredited health and medical disinformation—pushing such junk science conspiracy theories as “vaccines cause autism,” wireless tech causing cancer, raw milk, “chemtrails,” AIDS not being caused by HIV, and accusing the FDA of suppressing advancements in health

“Donald Trump and Kennedy’s misinformation mission has politicized science, replaced fact with fear, eroded public trust and ultimately tears down decades of progress for us with developmental differences,” said Briel. “This resolution reaffirms that here in Illinois we stand for science, truth and respect for all individuals with autism and neurodiversity—and unequivocally support RFK Jr.’s immediate resignation.”