On Wednesday, Google announced its crackdown on pro-life ads on both their search engine site and YouTube ahead of Ireland’s vote on the legalization of abortion via the repeal of the country’s Eighth Amendment, which is set for May 25.
In a statement released by Google, the tech company claimed they were blocking all abortion-related ads to allegedly keep the “integrity” of the election. “Following our update around election integrity efforts globally, we have decided to pause all ads related to the Irish referendum on the Eighth Amendment,” reads the statement.
But according to LifeNews, the only ads that populated on Google when searching the referendum before this new policy was implemented were pro-life. “Google said the policies will apply to ads from both sides of the abortion debate; but when LifeNews searched Google for ads just prior to its new policy taking effect, it found only one ad – a pro-life ad – when it searched ‘Ireland abortion referendum’ and ‘Ireland 8th amendment’. The ad is for the Love Both campaign, a coalition of Irish pro-life groups working to defend unborn babies’ rights in the country,” reports the site.
In other words, it appears only pro-life ads are being censored. This is hardly an outlandish accusation. Google’s liberal bias and censorship of conservative ads and news has been widely documented. And just last month, it was reported that Google employees were being lobbied by pro-abortion groups to stifle search results for pro-life organizations.
Moreover, Google and Facebook have their European HQ offices in Dublin, Ireland. Both companies enjoy a corporate tax rate of just 12.5%, one of the lowest rates in the world, from the increasingly pro-abortion government.
Facebook announced a similar crackdown to Google’s earlier in the week, only allowing abortion-related ads from Irish sources ahead of the vote, also citing alleged election integrity. (Become familiar with this phrase — “election integrity” — for upcoming censorship battles. It will reappear.)
Pro-lifers, noting a recent drop in polling for the “Yes” vote, have accused Google of attempting to rig the election in favor of the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, thus legalizing abortion. “An emergency press conference was called by the Pro Life Campaign, Save the 8th and the Iona Institute, following the announcement,” reported Ireland’s Independent. “They claimed the decision to ban ads on Google had been taken ‘because one side in this referendum is terrified of losing and wants to prevent voters from being informed.'”
Pro-lifer John McGuirk called out Google for their apparently disingenuous statement regarding “election integrity.” “It is about concerns that the No side might win,” he protested.
“It is very clear that the Government, much of the establishment media and corporate Ireland have determined that anything that needs to be done to secure a Yes vote must be done,” McGuirk added.
McGuirk says he wants proof of the election being comprised by such ads.
Speaking of big money, power, and influence, George Soros is apparently behind the referendum. LifeNews reports that a leaked 2016 “document from American billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundations revealed plans to push Ireland and other pro-life countries to legalize abortion on demand.” Some of these donations were deemed illegal under the 1997 Electoral Act, though the receiving pro-abortion group refused to return the money.
Unsurprisingly, pro-aborts have applauded the move by Google. “The announcement is of international significance. It’s not just important for the referendum on the 8th amendment. It’s important for how referenda and elections can be protected from undue influence all around the world,” Green Party Leader Eamon Ryan TD told The Independent.