By: Phoebe Shi
Google is facing backlash from Democratic lawmakers because the search engine leads users in specific states to “abortion services” that not only don’t provide abortions, but also discourage people from going through with the procedure.
These members of Congress sent a letter to the C.E.O. of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, Sundar Pichai. In this letter, 20 Democratic Congresspeople and Bernie Sanders, who is an Independent, demanded Google correct this problem with its search algorithm.
According to a recent report from the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, 11 percent of search results regarding abortion services lead to these “fake clinics” in states with “trigger laws” that would ban all abortions if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned. 37 percent of Google Maps searches also led to these “fake clinics.”
There are currently 13 states with “trigger laws” that will ban all abortion if Roe is overturned. Five more are expected to pass similar legislation.
“Directing women toward fake clinics that traffic in misinformation and don’t provide comprehensive health services is dangerous to women’s health and undermines the integrity of Google’s search results,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter.
They also stated that Google pledged in 2014 to remove all ads that use deceptive language to intentionally divert users to centers that don’t offer abortion procedures.
Because of Google’s large reach, disinformation and inaccurate search results can have a huge impact. In this case, many people’s abortions could be delayed, or they could be swayed into not having an abortion at all.
These “fake clinics” may attempt to appear legitimate by offering ultrasounds, S.T.I. testing, and pregnancy tests. They may be legal, but the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics argues that they are unethical.
Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, says that digital platforms like Google must act responsibly and slow the spread of misinformation. He says policymakers should be the ones to hold these companies accountable.
Such disinformation and inaccuracy can delay the abortion process and have a direct, negative impact on a person’s health.