False Autism Claims Resurface Following Presidential Comments as Supreme Court Faces Health-Related Cases

The long-debunked claim that vaccines and medications cause autism has gained new traction following comments by President Donald Trump during a September 22 press conference on acetaminophen. The President revived misleading assertions about autism prevalence in Cuba and in Amish communities, suggesting these populations “don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills” and “have essentially no autism.”

This political amplification has caused a significant surge in social media discussion. KFF’s monitoring of the platform X found mentions of autism among Cuban and Amish populations increased nearly 1,400% in the past month compared to the previous period, jumping from approximately 12,000 to 160,000 posts, reposts, and comments.

These narratives have circulated for years despite extensive research showing no association between vaccines and autism. The resurgence comes at a critical time when many parents already harbor uncertainty about vaccines. A recent KFF/Washington Post Survey of Parents found that while only 9% believe MMR vaccines cause autism, nearly half (48%) say they don’t know enough to comment.

The evidence directly contradicts these claims. Many Amish children do receive vaccines, with a 2017 study showing 98% of parents in an Ohio Amish community had accepted some vaccines for their children. Lower reported autism rates among Amish communities may result from underdiagnosis due to cultural differences in healthcare utilization and educational environments.

Supreme Court Considers Conversion Therapy Ban Challenge

The Supreme Court this week began hearing arguments in Chiles v. Salazar, a case examining whether state bans on conversion therapy for minors violate Constitutional free speech protections. Conversion therapy refers to practices that attempt to change or suppress an LGBTQ person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The case has significant implications for the 23 states and District of Columbia that currently ban conversion therapy for minors. A KFF/Washington Post Survey of Trans Adults found that 11% of transgender adults reported attending conversion or reparative therapy as children or teenagers.

Online discussion about conversion therapy has spiked dramatically during key case developments. Daily mentions across X, Reddit, and Bluesky jumped from an average of 1,015 to over 9,500 following the Supreme Court’s announcement it would review the case.

While many social media posts condemn conversion therapy, the case’s visibility has fueled an increase in misleading claims, including assertions that bans “criminalize helping confused youth” or leave children with gender dysphoria without resources. These narratives frame the bans as limiting access to care rather than restricting harmful practices, potentially resonating with audiences unfamiliar with the medical consensus against conversion therapy.

The scientific evidence is clear: conversion therapy lacks empirical support and is associated with adverse mental health outcomes, including depression, suicidality, and substance abuse. Twenty-eight medical and mental health associations have signed a joint statement opposing conversion practices.

School Vaccine Mandates Face Religious Challenge

The Supreme Court will also consider whether to grant an emergency injunction in We the Patriots USA, Inc. v. Ventura Unified School District. The case involves a California mother challenging school vaccine requirements on religious grounds, arguing that vaccines developed or tested using fetal cell lines derived from decades-old abortions violate her Christian faith.

The case has drawn renewed attention to persistent misinformation about vaccines containing fetal tissue, despite no such material being present in final vaccine products. On September 21, social media mentions of fetal cells in vaccine-related content spiked to nearly 2,000 posts following Fox News coverage of the emergency petition.

Fetal cell lines are laboratory-grown cells used in vaccine research because they provide controlled environments needed for development. While some vaccines were developed using these lines, including the rubella component of the MMR vaccine and the chickenpox vaccine, the manufacturing process purifies the vaccines to remove cellular material, leaving only viral components needed for immunity.

KFF’s latest Tracking Poll on Health Information and Trust finds that 70% of parents oppose removing public school vaccine requirements in their states, though support differs sharply along partisan lines. About half (48%) of Republican and Republican-leaning parents support removing these requirements, compared to just 13% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning parents.

The poll also revealed a partisan divide in how parents view vaccination responsibility, with 62% of Republican-leaning parents saying vaccination is a “parent’s personal choice” while 74% of Democratic-leaning parents view it as a “responsibility to protect others.”