New York Attorney General Letitia James today applauded Google for taking steps to improve search results for individuals seeking abortion care. After Attorney General James called on Google to address search results that led individuals seeking abortion care to anti-abortion clinics, known as crisis pregnancy centers (CPC), the company announced today that it will change its search results to be more accurate. Google will update its map and search results to label which facilities provide abortion care and which do not. These changes will help individuals locate the reproductive health care facilities they need without being misled.
“I applaud Google for taking steps to improve their search results to help individuals seeking abortion care,” said Attorney General James. “These critical changes to Google search results will be lifesaving and will help individuals get the safe care they need. As reproductive rights are under attack, it’s more important than ever for businesses to do their part to protect access to reproductive care. My office will continue to take action to ensure that every person has the freedom to make their own choices about their bodies.”
Millions of individuals rely on Google to find information about reproductive health care facilities. To be more accurate, Google will update its map and search result listings to label locations “Provides abortions” or “May not provide abortions.” Google will also be taking steps to independently verify facilities that provide abortion care.
In June, Attorney General James urged Google to take immediate action to address Google Maps’ failure to distinguish between facilities that offer abortion services and those that do not, which could lead individuals seeking abortions to unintentionally visit CPCs for care. Attorney General James requested that Google implement measures so that abortion-related search results on Google Maps show local facilities that are confirmed to provide abortion services.