US anti-abortion centres find pregnant teens online, then save their data

Abortion rights supporters march while protesting against the recent US Supreme Court decision to end federal abortion rights protections on June 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. As women like Lisa around the US are led unsuspectingly into anti-abortion centres, academics and advocates for reproductive rights are concerned about what happens to this potentially incriminating data – especially after abortion becomes illegal in many states following Friday’s Roe v. Wade ruling. — AFP

When Lisa suspected she was pregnant, she did what other teenagers might: She Googled her options to terminate. One of the first links that popped up in the search engine was a clinic in Volusia, Florida, where the 19-year-old lived.

The offer of a free pregnancy test tempted Lisa into booking an appointment and she drove there with her boyfriend, parking across the street. It was a small town, and she did not want to be recognised.