Trump’s Advice to Pregnant Women: “Tough it Out” Before Taking Tylenol
From the pulpit of the presidency, Donald Trump offered some advice to pregnant women: “Tough it out” before taking Tylenol. This statement has sparked controversy and outrage among women and experts, who see it as the latest example of a man telling women how much physical pain they should endure. Trump made this comment at a Monday news conference meant to address autism, where he instructed expectant mothers to suffer through their discomfort instead of reaching for acetaminophen to cure their fevers or headaches.
Nine times in all, Trump said expectant mothers should “fight like hell” not to take Tylenol, despite the drug being one of the few painkillers that pregnant women are allowed to take. He added that if pregnant women absolutely have to take Tylenol, that’ll be something that they “work out with themselves.” This advice has been met with criticism from women’s rights advocates and medical experts, who argue that it dismisses women’s pain and the real danger that exists with fever and miscarriage during pregnancy.
Experts Weigh In
Dr. Nicole B. Saphier of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center said pregnant women generally are advised to take acetaminophen only under medical supervision, when necessary and at the lowest effective dose. However, she also noted that untreated fever or severe pain can also pose serious risks to mothers and babies. “For decades, women have endured a paternalistic tone in medicine. We’ve moved past dismissing symptoms as ‘hysteria,'” Saphier wrote in an email. “The President’s recent comments on Tylenol in pregnancy are a prime example. Advising moderation was sound; delivering it in a patronizing, simplistic way was not.”
Alison Singer, founder of the Autism Science Foundation, also criticized Trump’s advice, saying it “took me straight back to when moms were blamed for autism.” She argued that Trump’s comment basically said, “if you can’t take the pain, if you can’t deal with the fever, then it’s your fault.” Mary E. Fissell, a professor of medical history with Johns Hopkins University, also noted that this type of advice is not new, and that it’s part of a long history of men making medical policy for women based on the beliefs of their time.
A History of Blaming Mothers
There’s a long history of men holding forth, sometimes incorrectly, about women’s reproductive health. Former Missouri Republican Rep. Todd Akin sank his 2012 U.S. Senate campaign with remarks about what constituted “legitimate rape.” Others have erred by suggesting publicly and falsely that rape victims can’t get pregnant. Trump’s advice is also reminiscent of the “refrigerator mother” theory, which held that cold or distant mothers were responsible for their children’s autism. This theory has long been discredited, but it’s part of a larger pattern of blaming mothers for their children’s health issues.
Trump’s comment has sparked outrage among women and experts, who see it as a prime example of the paternalistic tone that still exists in medicine. As Amanda Tietz, a women’s rights advocate and social media influencer, said, “His use of ‘tough it out’ really was infuriating because it dismissed women’s pain and the real danger that exists with fever and miscarriage during pregnancy.” Trump’s former surgeon general, Jerome Adams, also posted on social media, saying “Yesterday 5 powerful men stood together in the WH and shamed: Pregnant women, told to ‘tough it out’ through pain; Moms of autistic kids, blamed for their child’s condition; Autistic people, called broken & in need of fixing. Can we all be kinder and less stigmatizing?”
Conclusion
In conclusion, Trump’s advice to pregnant women to “tough it out” before taking Tylenol has sparked controversy and outrage among women and experts. This comment is part of a larger pattern of blaming mothers for their children’s health issues, and it dismisses the real dangers that exist with fever and miscarriage during pregnancy. As Dr. Saphier said, “Advising moderation was sound; delivering it in a patronizing, simplistic way was not.” For more information on this topic, read the full article Here
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