WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – Google will be changing their search results for people who are looking for “abortion clinic near me” or “abortion pill.”
At the request of Democratic lawmakers, including Virginia Senator Mark Warner and Michigan U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who sent Google a letter in June even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, Google has decided to make changes to search results in their advertising section, search and maps features.
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Democrats complained that when people used the search terms above, they were getting non-abortion results in their searches including results for crisis pregnancy centers.
Planned Parenthood had warned that these groups will “scare, shame, or pressure you out of getting an abortion” and “tell lies about abortion, birth control and sexual health.”
Now, Google will provide search results for groups that are verified abortion providers based on Google’s abortion certification process. If an organization doesn’t complete the process, Google won’t allow them to use keywords pertaining to getting an abortion.
However, Mark Isakowitz, Google’s VP of U.S. and Canada Govt Affairs and Public Policy, says that users will be able to broaden their search to show other relevant listings which will include organizations that don’t provide abortions.
Google is also asking for the public’s help to flag problematic reviews, inappropriate content and misleading places for review and removal by the company.
Slotkin praised Google’s decision by tweeting “With Roe’s protections gone, and with states like mine that have laws on the books that ban abortion access, it’s more important than ever that women can get accurate information from search engines like Google when they’re making critical health decisions.”
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Even with the Google victory, Slotkin says that a lot more needs to be done at the state and federal level to protect a woman’s right to make their own health care decisions but admits “this is an important step and I’m pleased Google recognized how important it was to make these updates.”
Slotkin is up for re-election in November against Republican opponent Michigan Senator Tom Barrett (R-Charlotte) who is pro-life.
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