Google Search Advertising after Dobbs v. Jackson

TL;DR

This study audits Google search ads related to abortion post-Dobbs v. Jackson, revealing significant presence of crisis pregnancy centers and regional variations, raising concerns about information access and policy implications.

Contribution

It provides the first comprehensive analysis of abortion-related search ads across U.S. states after Dobbs, highlighting regional disparities and the influence of ad policies.

Findings

Crisis Pregnancy Centers account for 47% of ads

Abortion clinics account for 30% of ads

Ad distribution varies significantly by state

Abstract

Search engines have become the gateway to information, products, and services, including those concerning healthcare. Access to reproductive health has been especially complicated in the wake of the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, splintering abortion regulations among the states. In this study, we performed an audit of the advertisements shown to Google Search users seeking information about abortion across the United States during the year following the Dobbs decision. We found that Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) -- organizations that target women with unexpected or "crisis" pregnancies, but do not provide abortions -- accounted for 47% of advertisements, whereas abortion clinics -- for 30%. Advertisements from CPCs were often returned for queries concerning information and safety. The type of advertisements returned, however, varied widely within each state, with Arizona returning the most advertisements from abortion clinics and other pro-choice organizations, and Minnesota the least. The proportion of pro-choice vs. anti-choice advertisements returned also varied over time, but estimates from Staggered Augmented Synthetic Control Methods did not indicate that changes in advertisement results were attributable to changes in state abortion laws. Our findings raise questions about the access to accurate medical information across the U.S. and point to a need for further examination of search engine advertisement policies and geographical bias.