YouTube says it will remove ‘unsafe’ DIY abortion guides

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Videos that promote false claims about abortion safety will be removed from the site. The company said it falls under its policy. It is adding an information panel to related videos that will give health information about abortion from the National Library of Medicine, similar to what it did for vaccines and some other topics.

Beginning today and ramping up over the next few weeks, we will remove content that provides instructions for unsafe abortion methods or promotes false claims about abortion safety. All of our policies are based on published guidance from health authorities. As real world events unfold, we continuously review our policies and products. An explanation of its misinformation policies that banned the promotion of alternative abortion methods in place of chemical or surgical methods deemed safe by health authorities was attached.

Lawmakers have asked the parent company of YouTube to restrict search and maps results that lead to fake clinics where doctors try to discourage people from having abortions. Videos promoting self-managed abortions with herbs like mugwort and pennyroyal are unreliable and can cause serious health problems. Mifepristone or misoprostol pills are widely considered safe and reliable when taken outside of a doctor's supervision. Some of the videos have become very popular.