Mr. Paxton filed the suit against Johnson & Johnson, which sold Tylenol for decades, and Kenvue, a spinoff company that has sold the drug since 2023.
The Texas lawsuit claims that the companies knowingly withheld evidence from consumers about Tylenol’s links to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The suit also claims that Kenvue was created to shield Johnson & Johnson from liability over Tylenol.
This lawsuit is the first by a state that seizes on Mr. Trump’s allegations that the use of acetaminophen products like Tylenol during pregnancy could cause neurodevelopmental disorders. The issue has been a longstanding concern among some followers of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, but the idea gained traction with Mr. Trump’s remarks.
Which creates the question. If the spectrum of autism is so wide and common does that mean autism is not a disorder or condition but just one of the many common traits of humans but some people (much like athleticism) have a stronger ability?
I guess that would depend on whether or not it is an evolutionary advantage. I can see it, in some niches, and especially in pre-industrial era. I think the same is true of ADHD.
I get that that sounds crass or even eugenecistic (?), but that’s, kinda, how it is. Traits that are considered advantageous are gifts; traits that are considered disadvantageous are considered disorders.
The same could be said of athleticism, if there’s some generic mutation that i.e. makes muscle mass develop rapidly, I could easily see that as being a marker for heart disease or various types of cancer, making hyperathleticism a disorder.
But I guess you could say that that’s also on a spectrum.
Kinda reminds me how in ancients Scandinavian some people with mental illness were either seer’s or seen as gifted by the gods. Nowadays we call it schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Yeah. People with ADHD, Autism, etc…we get special powers. The problem is, we aren’t built for this world. It’s too damn busy and overstimulating. I just want to live in a cave and pick berries. I bet I’d be good at that.
Preaching to the choir on that one, got diagnosis with autism when I was like 3. But yeah throw me on the woods and once I get past the initial discomfort I’d probably do alright.