Abortion and contraceptive provider MSI Australia has complained that Google has banned it from advertising because of what it claims is a misinterpretation of Australian law. It claims that since December 3, it has not been able to promote its services through paid ads on Google.
According to Guardian Australia because Google interpreted the mention of medical abortion on MSI Australia’s website as promoting abortion-inducing drugs. But the drugs are not mentioned on the website.
“We have longstanding policies that govern abortion-related ads on Google’s platforms,” a Google spokesperson said, according to the report. “Abortion advertisements can run in Australia as long as the advertiser is certified. However, under local legal requirements, abortion-inducing drugs are not allowed to be marketed or promoted.”
The spokesperson said that the company reviewed the website and identified wording that might be in violation of the rules. The wording has to be updated before MSI Australia is allowed to run ads again.
“After reviewing the ads in question, we are working intently with the advertiser to clarify some minor amendments that will enable them to run policy-compliant ads again as soon as possible.”
According to its managing director Jamal Hakim, the new ban is a misinterpretation of Australian laws.
“It’s like Groundhog Day, Google has yet again enforced a blanket ban of abortion campaigns in Australia,” he said. “We are sick and tired of advertising policies being misinterpreted and restricting the ability of people to find accurate and compassionate information about abortion.
MSI Australia called on Google to reverse the ban as soon as possible.
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