YouTube pulls videos with information on unsafe abortion methods

YouTube says it will remove content that offers instructions on unsafe abortion methods, as well as false claims about abortion safety. Such content violates the platform's medical misinformation policies. YouTube says it will start taking down those videos today and ramp up its efforts in the coming weeks.

Additionally, YouTube is adding an information panel under abortion-related videos and above associated search results. The panel includes context and information from local and global health authorities, the service said.

"Like all of our policies on health/medical topics, we rely on published guidance from health authorities," a tweet from the YouTube Insider Twitter account reads. "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 is taking the step after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a ruling that ensured the right to abortion in the country. Several states immediately moved to ban abortions after the court's decision in late June.

The platform banned COVID-19 misinformation following the onset of the pandemic. By August 2021, it had taken down more than a million videos with dangerous COVID-19 misinformation. The following month, the platform banned content with vaccine misinformation.