A coalition of Republican attorneys general (AGs) is calling upon YouTube to remove a “misleading” disclaimer from a video posted by the pro-life group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The video features a woman’s account of terrifying complications experienced during a self-induced chemical abortion.
The AGs, led by Iowa’s Brenna Bird, contend that YouTube – owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google – exhibited bias and potentially illegal behavior by adding “objectively untruthful” context notes to the ADF video. They claim YouTube’s actions create disparities between access to pro-life and pro-choice content, contravening the principles of free speech protected under the First Amendment.
“Your bias against pro-life and pro-woman messages is un-American, inconsistent with the liberties protected by the First Amendment, and, in this case, illegal. It must stop,” the coalition of 16 state AGs said in a letter to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan.
YouTube’s ‘context’ note claims, “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.” However, the AGs argue the note is factually incorrect.
“It suggests that chemical abortions are performed by trained professionals. They are not. Although surgical abortions are still typically ‘done by a licensed healthcare professional,’ under current FDA protocols, chemical abortions are ‘done by’ pregnant women themselves,” the AG’s letter contents. They add that by posting false information, YouTube — in this case — is no longer protected by legal immunity under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
If YouTube fails to correct or remove the contested disclaimer, the coalition of Attorneys General says they will move to invoke their consumer protection authority.