Anti-abortion groups target women with misleading ads

Source: BBC

Anti-abortion groups target women with misleading ads

By Rachel Schraer
Health and disinformation reporter

17 May 2022

When Hana found out she was pregnant, she knew she wanted to have an abortion - but her search for a clinic on Google led her to an anti-abortion centre, set on talking her out of her decision.

In many US states, BBC News has seen misleading websites advertising these clinics appearing high up in Google search results - and Facebook adverts with inaccurate medical advice - while genuine abortion providers are having their ads rejected and accounts restricted.

Advice centres, such as the one visited by Hana - a 19-year-old living in the north-eastern US state of Massachusetts - are often run by Christian organisations.

They may offer some medical services such as pregnancy tests and ultrasounds - but some of their online promotion falsely suggests they also provide pregnancy-termination services.

It wasn't until Hana was walking down the centre's corridor, lined with posters comparing the procedure to murder, that it began to dawn on her this was not the abortion clinic she believed it to be.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-61320202