US legislators have urged tech giant Google to correct abortion queries that direct visitors to “fake clinics that oppose abortion.”
Several Democratic members of Congress have reportedly requested Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to address their concerns over Google search and map results for abortion information that include “anti-abortion phone clinics,” according to USA Today.
What’s New?
A report by the non-profit organization, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, was “particularly troubling,” according to Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Elissa Slotkin in a letter dated (CCDH).
In states with “trigger laws,” which would go into force immediately or automatically if Roe v. Wade were reversed, the CCDH investigation discovered that 37% of Google Maps results and 11% of Google searches for “abortion clinic near me” and “abortion pill” were for “anti-abortion fake clinics.”
What’s More?
The legislators stated that these facilities, sometimes known as “crisis pregnancy centers” or “pregnancy resource centers,” do not perform abortions and “aim to steer women away from certain health decisions.”
The CCDH investigation also discovered that 28% of Google advertising that were shown above search results were for anti-abortion facilities, according to the report.
Digging In More Details
Although one advertisement for a clinic in Mississippi purported to offer free consultations for abortions, the CCDH claimed it discovered the clinic neither performs abortions nor refers patients for the operation.
The internet giant was quoted as saying in a statement to USA News, “Across our platforms, we work to make high-quality information widely available, particularly on essential health matters.”
The corporation continued, “Any organization that wishes to advertise to anyone looking for information about abortion services on Google must be certified and include in-ad disclosures that clearly state whether they do or do not offer abortions.
