Trump’s War On Tylenol Is Also Very Much A War On Women | Arwa Mahdawi

Trust-fund-Trump wants women to “tough it out”

Donald Trump is simply a man pinch nary aesculapian training. However, that’s ne'er stopped nan very unchangeable brilliant from inflicting his unhinged wellness views connected nan remainder of us, has it? Back successful 2020, for example, Trump memorably mused that injecting disinfectant could thief conflict nan coronavirus – which forced nan shaper of Dettol and Lysol to put retired an urgent connection explaining that this was a very bad idea.

Now nan president, who erstwhile vowed to beryllium a protector of women “whether they for illustration it aliases not”, has turned his attraction to prenatal care. “Taking Tylenol is, uhhhh, not good,” Trump said connected Monday, pinch his trademark eloquence. He was flanked by wellness caput Robert F Kennedy Jr, nan feline who told Congress this year that “people shouldn’t return aesculapian proposal from me”.

Trump went connected to nexus autism to prenatal vulnerability to acetaminophen, which is nan progressive constituent successful Tylenol. If you’re emotion poorly while pregnant you should “fight for illustration hell” not to return Tylenol to relieve your pain, nan president instructed. Which fundamentally intends suffering instead: ibuprofen, for instance, is mostly not recommended aft week 20 of pregnancy.

“If you can’t reliable it out, if you can’t do it, that’s what you’d person to do,” Trump continued. “You’ll return a Tylenol, but it’ll beryllium very sparingly. Can beryllium thing that’s very vulnerable to nan woman’s health, successful different words, a fever that’s very, very dangerous, and ideally, a doctor’s decision, because I deliberation you shouldn’t return it and you shouldn’t return it during nan full pregnancy.”

Like everything Trump says, this incoherent quote makes zero sense. But nan bottommost statement present is that nan Trump management is advancing wildly irresponsible guidance. There is no evidence for a causative nexus betwixt acetaminophen and autism and galore experts were aghast astatine Trump’s statements. Indeed, moreover nan civilized vacuum that is JD Vance balked astatine repeating Trump’s advice, alternatively urging women to thin connected their doctors. And while Trump claimed that location is “no downside” successful avoiding Tylenol, an untreated fever during pregnancy could origin problems for nan baby.

Trump’s request that pregnant women “tough it out” is besides profoundly misogynistic and a reminder of really women’s symptom is often misunderstood aliases ignored. Numerous studies show that nan aesculapian constitution takes men’s symptom much seriously. A 2022 study from nan Journal of nan American Heart Association, for example, recovered that women who visited emergency departments pinch thorax symptom waited 29% longer than men to beryllium evaluated.

This abrupt Tylenol scare is besides yet different illustration of mom-shaming. “ We really person a agelong history of blaming mothers successful this country, and we’re seeing that reinforced done nan narratives astir autism’s causes correct now,” Martine Lappé, a sociology professor, told NPR.

Women are shamed for not getting pregnant aliases waiting “too long” to get pregnant. They’re shamed (and, increasingly, criminalized) for losing a pregnancy. They’re shamed for everything from nan size of their baby bump to what they eat while they’re pregnant. They’re called retired for exercising while expecting – aliases not exercising enough. And if they springiness commencement to a babe that isn’t able-bodied aliases neurotypical, women are often told it’s astir apt because of thing they did. It’s their fault.

While pregnant women are often treated for illustration nationalist property, expectant fathers are not treated pinch nan aforesaid scrutiny. About 15% of couples successful nan US person problem conceiving, and, by 1 count, complete 50% of nan clip a male infertility rumor contributes. Yet women are traditionally blamed. Indeed backmost successful nan 1940s researchers moreover posited that women’s unconscious hatred of their husbands was what stopped them from conceiving. We’ve moved connected from that a bit, but infertility is still wide thought of arsenic a woman’s problem.

Studies person besides found a link betwixt precocious paternal property and autism. But does nine perpetually shame men for having kids later successful life? Of people not. When a 59-year-old Trump fathered Barron, he crowed to nan property astir his virility. “I proceed to enactment young, right? I nutrient children, I enactment young,” said Trump at nan time.

No uncertainty location are galore things motivating this abrupt Trump administration obsession pinch Tylenol, including a request to distract group from those pesky Epstein files. However, a interest for women’s wellness is perfectly not astatine nan bosom of it. Rather, this is yet different measurement to power women; different measurement to trim america to stepping wombs alternatively than multidimensional quality beings. This warfare connected Tylenol is besides very overmuch a warfare connected women. Now, if only location was a pill we could return to thief woody pinch this Maga-induced malaise. As it is, we are each conscionable going to person to reliable it out.

Elon Musk’s begetter accused of sexually abusing his children and stepchildren

Considering it is communal knowledge that Errol Musk fathered astatine slightest 1 kid pinch his erstwhile stepdaughter, who was only 4 years aged when he joined her mother, these caller accusations, reported by nan New York Times, are not a immense surprise. Errol, meanwhile, has dismissed nan allegations arsenic “nonsense” and “rubbish.”

75-year-old weightlifter heading to world championships

Kate Evert sewage into weightlifting erstwhile she was 69 aft her kids nagged her to spell to nan gym. Now she’s getting fresh to recreation from Missouri to Cape Town for nan World Masters Powerlifting Championships. There are immoderate fantabulous videos of her deadlifting successful this Guardian piece.

Slovakia rolls backmost LGBTQ+ rights

On Friday nan Slovak parliament voted connected steps that will lead to nan nickname of only 2 genders, restrict sexuality education, and limit take to only joined heterosexual couples.

Drug traffickers livestream torture and sidesplitting of Argentinian women and girl

Two young women and a 15-year-old woman were lured to a location by suspected supplier traffickers and past murdered connected a livestream that went retired to a closed Instagram group.

Maga dentist says she gives different attraction to Democrats

A Santa Clarita dentist joked 2 years agone that she cuts backmost connected symptom alleviation for patients who aren’t Trump supporters. Now nan video has gone viral and nan dentist is reminding america it was conscionable a gag. Hilarious!

What it’s for illustration to beryllium joined disconnected astatine 13

“I was astir 13 erstwhile my family decided to wed maine disconnected to a man of 29,” an anonymous Iraqi female writes in nan Guardian. “Any effort to garbage this groom successful beforehand of him aliases his family, I was told, would extremity successful my death… My acquisition was not an isolated incident, but an early glimpse of what Iraq’s caller rule legalising matrimony from nan property of nine whitethorn mean.”

Israeli curate says she’s optimistic astir ’voluntary migration from nan West Bank’

Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel of nan ruling Likud statement told Israel’s Channel 12 that Gaza is being made unlivable. “There must beryllium voluntary migration successful bid for america to fulfill nan warfare purpose of ensuring that Gaza does not airs a threat to Israel successful nan future,” she said, according to nan Times of Israel. “I americium moreover optimistic that [there will beryllium voluntary migration from] Judea and Samaria and not conscionable from nan Gaza Strip,” Gamliel added, referencing Israel’s sanction for nan occupied West Bank. Israeli authorities officials person many times made clear that ethnic cleansing is nan plan. Mainstream occidental media outlets person not covered Gamliel’s remarks.

The week successful pawtriarchy

What do you telephone a carnivore successful winter? A brrrrr! OK, OK, I apologize profusely for that and connection this nexus to nan Fat Bear Week tourney to make it up to you. The fur-midable challenge, tally by a nationalist parkland successful Alaska, is meant to find nan carnivore that “exemplifies fatness and success” best, arsenic nan animals fresh themselves for hibernation. It’s a small spot of cuteness amid an unbearable news week.

• Arwa Mahdawi is simply a Guardian columnist