Facebook, Google run millions of unsafe 'abortion reversal' ads

Occurred: September 2021

A research study found Facebook and Google had been running millions of ads for unsafe and potentially dangerous 'abortion reversal' pills on their platforms, despite policies banning the treatment.

So-called 'abortion reversal' pills promote the theoretical use of high doses of the hormone progesterone to ‘reverse’ the effects of taking mifepristone, the first of a pair of drugs used in a medical abortion. 

However, there is a lack of medical evidence demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the treatment, which is deemed unsafe and unscientific by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) discovered that Facebook ran 92 abortion reversal ads between January 1, 2020, and September 8, 2021 from from Live Action News, Live Action, and Heartbeat International worth between USD 115,400 and USD 140,667. 

It also found the ads were seen 18.4 million times since January 2020, and 700,000 times by 13 to 17 year-olds. Facebook’s own analytics show that as many as 1.5 million users in the UK and 3 million in the Republic of Ireland could have been targeted by these ads.

Both companies' policies banned 'unsafe' or 'misleading' advertising. Google had rules that banned advertisers from promoting misleading information about products, while Facebook banned the ads from being targeted to 13- to 17-year-olds.

Google removed the ads after the CCDH published its report. 

Operator: Meta/Facebook; Alphabet/Google
Developer: Meta/Facebook; Alphabet/Google
Country: USA
Sector: Health
Purpose: Sell advertising
Technology: Facebook Ads; Google Ads
Issue: Ethics; Mis/Disinformation
Transparency: Governance

Research, advocacy 🧮

Page info
Type: Issue
Published: September 2021
Last updated: June 2024