By: Sydney Xiong

The article “Lawmakers Urge Google to Fix Abortion Searches Suggesting ‘Fake Clinics’”

by Kim Bellware describes how mainstream search engine Google provides inaccurate search

engines to abortion and directs users to false clinics. These clinics used deceptive methods such as

misinformation to actively dissuade patients from ending their pregnancy.

These forms of deception can both undermine the integrity of Google Search results and

be detrimental to women’s health.

Abortion is evidently a controversial topic; sixteen states have explicit laws which protects

abortion rights while the other states have either no enforced laws or bans. While it is acceptable

to have an opinion on abortion rights, it would be malignant to act on these opinions through the

use of deception and disinformation through digital platforms, especially given Google’s global

reach and its popularity with 90 percent of the global market share.

It is relevant for Lawmakers to exhort Google to fix their misleading abortion search

results. While abortion is a highly controversial topic and it is acceptable to hold one’s own views

on abortion, it is problematic to use means of deception to enforce these opinions on others,

especially since Google is the mainstream global search engine, which means that a large number

of people will be affected negatively.

Not only could this be detrimental to patients to patients’ health, but it also undermines

Google’s search integrity. This also applies for the “crisis pregnancy centers” that Google has

directed the patients to. Even though these clinics are legal, using false claims, such as how

abortion may lead to infertility or suicidal thoughts, to force an opinion on patients can be

problematic.