Now it’s Tylenol; Later it’s Theonomy

It is no coincidence that Trump is egregiously claiming that Tylenol causes autism—that’s the one pain relief medication safe to take during pregnancy. Not only is this move designed to manufacture crises that the president can exploit to his own ends, it is obviously intended to hurt women.

This serves the Christian nationalist agenda, which wants women out of the workplace—and pain effectively keeps employees home. It pushes the US closer to a theonomy, a Christian state ruled by Old Testament laws—like, “in pain you shall bring forth children.” And it relies on ableism to prompt women to martyr themselves for their children, shouting that it’s better to suffer through pregnancy than to have an autistic child. Disgusting on its face, such dehumanizing thinking also serves the anti-abortion coalition, elevating the idea of fetal personhood over women’s pain. 

If Trump’s directive that women should “tough it out” and “fight like Hell” not to take Tylenol is followed, it will result in increased fetal complications and deaths, as desperate mothers reach for Advil instead (actually dangerous for developing fetuses). Advil and other NSAIDs can compromise fetal kidneys, triggering oligohydramnios (low amniotic fluid). In turn, oligohydramnios can lead to improper fetal lung development, intrauterine growth restriction, and compression of the umbilical cord during delivery, which can be deadly.

Conveniently for Trump’s actual agenda—of course it’s never about saving babies—complications resulting from maternal Advil use will also increase the need for obstetric interventions such as cesareans. While lifesaving when indicated, cesareans are major abdominal surgery, therefore creating even more pain that women will have to endure, more time that they’ll need to recover, and more likely complications in future pregnancies (and more dollars for capitalism’s insatiable appetite). 

All of this helps accomplish a fundamentalist Christian state. Make America Great Again has always meant going backwards in time, but it’s not just the 1950s that the Project 2025 folks have in mind (which would be plenty bad enough). But no. We’re talking Old Testament tactics like stoning people—just listen to Doug Wilson, Pete Hegseth’s pastor. We’re talking women under lock and key—not working, not voting, in pain, and pregnant. Controlled. And indoctrinated to fear and hate autism.

Thus, when MAHA moms swear off Tylenol and end up with autistic children anyway—because there’s no connection whatsoever—they will struggle to accept their children’s diagnoses and may delay getting them services.

All of these nightmarish but very real circumstances that are headed our way are tied to the God that Christian nationalists serve. If you believe that God dominates, then you will dominate. If you believe that God punishes, then you will punish. If you believe God rules and subjugates with an iron fist, so too will you.

It doesn’t have to remain this way. Let’s get a better God image out there amongst the cultural and political landscape. A God who isn’t powerful, but present. A God who can’t fix, but will bear witness. A God who supports, accompanies, and champions. If endorsed on a large scale, it would radically shift how we behave and vote and operate.

We do as we think God does. Are we so invested in God being powerful that we’re willing to let the end game of that theology play out?