YouTube to remove abortion falsehoods, direct users to facts

On July 21, 2022, YouTube announced it will begin removing misleading videos about abortion in response to falsehoods being spread about the procedure that is being banned or restricted across a broad swath of the US. — AP

YouTube will begin taking down content that promotes dangerous abortion methods or falsehoods about the safety of the procedure, responding to concerns from advocates about the spread of misinformation as abortion access declines in the US.

The hugely popular video site, which is part of Alphabet Inc’s Google, said on July 21 that it would follow guidelines from health authorities in implementing the policy, with enforcement “ramping up over the next few weeks”. Examples of content that would be removed under the policy include at-home abortion instructions that deviate from guidelines from health authorities and false claims that abortion often results in infertility or cancer, YouTube said.