A group of 13 states have some of the strictest anti-abortion policies in the country, according to a survey. They found that a small percentage of the recorded search results led to anti- abortion centers. A quarter of all sponsored advertisements were for anti- abortion centers.
One of the report's contributors said that he was surprised by the maps results. The way in which these centers are presented on the first page of search results is to put them under a map of abortion clinics.
Hood said that anti-abortion centers were trying to attract people who were looking for abortion care. That deception is being enabled through the maps results.
Research has shown how harmful anti-abortion centers can be for people seeking abortions. As the U.S. enters a critical point for abortion access, it is a particular problem.
13 U.S. states have "trigger laws" on the books that will go into effect if the decision is overturned. These laws ban abortion and even make it a crime to do so.
Legal consequences are already being faced by people who seek out and attempt abortions under state laws. A woman in Texas was indicted in March after she told a hospital worker that she had tried to get an abortion. The criminalization of pregnant women could be made worse by advertisements and other search results.
As the law changes, women who are seeking abortions could be deceived into visiting fake clinics. That could cause real trouble for them. It is easy for anti-abortion clinics to report women to law enforcement for trying to get an abortion.
There are anti-abortion centers. They often include the terms "clinic" or "abortion clinic" on their websites and self-advertise under a lot of different names. The purpose of these centers is to deter people from having an abortion.
The study found that lack of abortion access harms people.
According to a report from The Alliance, anti- abortion centers outnumber actual clinics by 3 to 1. It's a first step for low income people to seek care. Tax-payer money is often used to fund these centers.
A major privacy concern is that they are not actually health clinics. She said that anti- abortion centers can get private medical information, but they aren't bound by medical privacy laws. Anti-abortion groups are looking for ways to penalize people who seek out abortions. It is hard to keep things private in the internet age, so promoting anti- abortion centers could make it more difficult.
Problems with their search results have been a problem before. The company put a small notice on paid ads for anti- abortion centers that show up in search results. Light grey lettering below the ad listing will say "does not provide abortions."
The disclaimers are small and often poorly positioned, compared to the size of the ads themselves, which contain multiple sub-links.
The problem with anti- abortion centers isn't just that they don't provide abortions. They promote false information, discourage people from seeking healthcare, and pose as clinics when they are not. Hood said that the search engine's policy isn't enough. We would argue that the ads should be blocked because they are meant to be misleading, and that the warnings on them are not up to date.
An email was sent to Gizmodo from a spokesman for the search engine.
Across our products, we work to make high-quality information easily accessible, particularly on critical health topics. Any organization that wants to advertise to people seeking information about abortion services on Google must be certified and show in-ad disclosures that clearly state whether they do or do not offer abortions. We’re always looking at ways to improve our results to help people find what they’re looking for, or understand if what they’re looking for may not be available.
Users can flag Maps results for removal if they are inappropriate or misleading, and the company is starting experiments to improve the visibility of their ads.
If you're looking for abortion services or information on abortion, you may want to look elsewhere. The anti-abortion centers pay millions of dollars to get ads on the internet, so keep in mind when you are researching abortion care. She says to start with your local abortion fund.
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