Liz Lebrón, who is in charge of overseeing the Latino Anti-Disinformation Lab, shared that there has been a spike in false information regarding abortion in the Spanish language.
This was noticed by Lebrón and her colleagues just after it leaked that the Supreme Court planned to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The spread of misleading and false information was happening on social media, according to NPR.
The lab run by Lebrón wasn’t actually looking for abortion misinformation, but was instead formed in 2021 to fight COVID-19 misinformation and election issues targeted toward Latinos.
What is happening on social media with misinformation targeted at Spanish speaking communities?
Lebrón has stated that there are all different kinds of misinformation surrounding abortions in Spanish.
Posts will say that abortion is no longer legal in a state where it is.
Others are saying the procedure is unsafe and can cause harm or death.
The most dangerous part is that the accounts sharing the misinformation have thousands and thousands of followers.
Despite the Supreme Court overturning the law, it’s up to states whether it will be legal or not, and in most states it is.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also states that abortion is both safe and a component of comprehensive health.
A lot of the information is spreading on things like WhatsApp and Facebook. This is because watching for misinformation in Spanish isn’t always happening.
Victims of sexual assault can now track rape kit status in California
Samantha is a reporter covering women’s issues across the U.S. and world. Have a tip? Send it to sam@fingerlakes1.com.