A search engine may be the difference between a baby living or dying, as pro-abortion advocates urge Google to crack down on pro-life clinics that pop as an option when searching for abortion facilities using Google Maps. Google has promised to “fix” the search results flagged by VICE and the abortion advocates.
Searching for an abortion facility in Google Maps can also pull up results for pro-life clinics seeking to offer women alternative options, according to a recent report by VICE News, which added that pro-abortion advocates are dismayed, as they believe the “misleading” results in Google Maps could prevent women from getting abortions.
The report contends that searching for abortion clinics in Google Maps not only pulls up results for pro-life clinics, but also does not show results for abortion facilities nearby. The report cites North Dakota as one example of the Google Maps phenomena, searches show results for North Dakota Right to Life, but not the Red River Women’s Clinic — the state’s only abortion facility.
“That is very frustrating, and certainly I would love to be able to do something about that,” said Tammi Kromenaker, the director of the Red River Women’s Clinic.
The report also mentioned that pro-life centers are oftentimes located in states with tougher abortion laws, and insisted that if a woman “accidentally ends up at a crisis pregnancy center, she may still want an abortion — but she might struggle to find the time to make an appointment at a provider before her pregnancy is too far along.”
A Google Maps search conducted by Breitbart News for an abortion clinic near Cleveland, Ohio, however, shows results for several abortion clinics in the area, and does not show the locations for clinics offering alternatives to abortion.
Ohio is also one of the states with stricter laws regarding abortion, as the state’s governor, Mike DeWine (R), signed a “heartbeat bill” into law earlier this year.
Nonetheless, VICE maintains that several states do not direct women to abortion facilities, but rather, to clinics that instead, “urge women to come in for a pregnancy test, an ultrasound, or counseling about their options” and “supply information about adoption and parenting, and dive into graphic detail when describing the different types of abortion procedures and their risks.”
“Many also offer ‘abortion recovery’ services for women who’ve already gone through the procedure,” the report adds. “Some say their facilities are ‘faith-based.'”
One way pro-abortion advocates are fighting back against these so-called “misleading” pro-life alternatives appearing in Google Maps search results, is by proactively searching for the pro-life clinics and leaving reviews notifying the public that the facilities do not offer abortions, so that others can “upvote” the reviews by clicking on “that little thumbs up.”
“We saw Google reviews as a tool to combat that misinformation,” said Anna Bean, the community engagement manager for the pro-abortion organization, Abortion Access Front, to VICE.
The report added that after flagging the pro-life clinics to Google on Thursday, the company said it would fix the search results within 24 hours.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler at @alana, and on Instagram.
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