YouTube announces it will be removing videos containing abortion-related ‘misinformation’

YouTube announced on Thursday that it will remove any videos which either instruct people on how to carry out unsafe abortions or spread any other misinformation about abortion safety.

The platform also said that each uploaded video discussing abortion will have an added informational panel which provides context from both local and worldwide sources.

YouTube provided an example from National Library of Medicine to illustrate what they made to their information panel: “An abortion is a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses medicine or surgery to remove the embryo or fetus and placenta from the uterus. The procedure is done by a licensed healthcare professional. For informational purposes only. Consult your local medical authority for advice.”

“We believe it’s important to connect people to content from authoritative sources regarding health topics, and we continuously review our policies and products as real world events unfold,” said YouTube spokesperson Elena Hernandez.

YouTube said the update was in response to “published guidance from health authorities.” They added, “We prioritize connecting people to content from authoritative sources on health topics, and we continuously review our policies & products as real-world events unfold.”

YouTube has previously removed videos which it deemed misinformation on Covid-19, vaccines and elections. YouTube’s announcement follows Google’s blog post which said they will delete the location of any user who visit different types facilities, which they deem “particularly personal,” including abortion centers.

“Today, we’re announcing that if our systems identify that someone has visited one of these places, we will delete these entries from Location History soon after they visit,” wrote Jen Fitzpatrick, Google’s senior vice president of core systems and experiences. “We’re committed to delivering robust privacy protections for people who use our products, and we will continue to look for new ways to strengthen and improve these protections.”