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Google lets anti-abortion centers place misleading ads targeting women who need legally-required ultrasounds before getting an abortion, a new investigation reveals. These crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) can't actually provide the required medical services.
The Campaign for Accountability found that up to 76% of Google ads served to women searching for pre-abortion ultrasounds came from CPCs. These centers craftily advertise "free ultrasounds" without mentioning a crucial detail: their services don't satisfy state legal requirements for getting an abortion.
The deception goes deeper. Google's new AI-powered search summaries actively promote CPC talking points about ultrasounds being "crucial" and "life-saving" - directly contradicting medical experts who call forced ultrasounds "unethical and traumatic."
In states like Florida, where abortion is only legal for six weeks, even a one-day delay from visiting a CPC could put abortion care out of reach. Yet Google continues profiting from these ads while failing to enforce its own policies against medical misinformation.
The investigation covered three states - Arizona, Florida and Wisconsin - where pre-abortion ultrasounds are mandatory. Researchers created Google accounts for hypothetical 20-year-old women and documented hundreds of ads served across multiple searches.
Some CPCs were remarkably bold in their deception. One Wisconsin center correctly stated that state law requires an ultrasound before abortion - but conveniently forgot to mention that their ultrasounds don't count. Others claimed they could provide ultrasounds required by telehealth abortion providers, despite having no intention to actually coordinate with those providers.
Google has tried to address CPC deception before, adding "Does not provide abortion" labels to some ads in 2019. But the centers keep finding new ways to game the system. Some ads still appeared without the required label, while others used headlines like "Free Abortion Pill" despite explicitly not providing abortions.
The tech giant's new AI search features may be making things worse. When researchers searched for pre-abortion ultrasound information, Google's AI summaries heavily cited CPC websites while burying medical experts' views. In Florida, the AI even specifically recommended a CPC that couldn't provide the legally required service.
Meanwhile, real doctors oppose mandatory ultrasound laws, calling them medically unnecessary and potentially harmful. The American Medical Association's ethics journal warns that forcing unwanted procedures on patients can cause trauma.
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