WASHINGTON- Today, US Senator Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA), senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, reprimanded the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for promoting the AbortionFinder.org website, a third-party website that promotes abortion providers and provides information to minors “15 and under” on how to have an abortion without their parents’ knowledge. Cassidy also raised concerns that the site may collect health information from people under the age of 18 and use that information to send them targeted advertisements about abortion-related practices.
Last summer, HHS launched ReproductiveRights.gov, which directs individuals to AbortionFinder.org, a website that provides information about how to obtain an abortion procedure or the abortion pill, as well as information about their state’s abortion laws. The site also provides information on court evasion, a legal process that allows persons under the age of 18 to have an abortion without involving a parent or guardian, even in states with parental notification laws. In addition, the privacy policy of its parent company’s website, Bedsider.org, allows it to collect personally identifiable information from users, including minors, for advertising and other business purposes.
“As a physician and member of Congress, I find it abhorrent that the federal government is using taxpayers’ money to fund a website that offers this kind of information, specifically to help minors ages 15 and under to have an abortion without their parents’ to obtain knowledge,” wrote dr. Cassidy.
“I am also concerned that this outside organization is collecting information about minors and using that information to send them targeted advertisements for abortion-related practices. By linking to Abortion Finder, HHS, and in turn the federal government, has once again prioritized a political agenda over parental rights and child safety.” drove Dr. Cassidy gone. “As such, I request HHS to answer the following questions, question-by-question, no later than March 24, 2023.”
Read the full letter here or below:
Secretary Becerra:
It’s come to my attention that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) website ReproductiveRights.gov directs individuals to Abortion Finder, an organization that promotes a directory of “trusted (and verified) providers of abortion services and support resources in the United States.” “[1] A person searching for an abortion provider may enter their personal information, including their location, the first day of their last period, and their age.[2] If a person is under the age of 18, Abortion Finder provides information about how to obtain an abortion procedure or the abortion pill, information about their state’s abortion laws, and information to help the person seek court evasion, a legal process that allows people Under 18 an abortion without the involvement of a parent or guardian.[3]
Abortion Finder also advertises that the information you provide is “private and confidential” and “never collected”.[s] or share[s] your personal information.”[4] However, when an individual enters information into AbortionFinder.org, Power to Decide’s parent company, Bedsider.org, may collect and store an individual’s personal information, such as: B. “Name, email address, phone number, zip code, and date of birth.”[5] The website may also automatically collect some information about an individual’s computer, such as B. their “IP address, web browser software (such as Internet Explorer) and referring website” and “may use [this] Information . . . combined with [its] Business.”[6] This includes providing products and services to the user, advertising and conducting business analysis.[7] In addition, Power to Decide permits third parties to collect this information “for a business purpose”. . . including, but not limited to, the delivery of advertising on Bedsider and elsewhere based on users’ online activities over time and across different websites, services and devices.”[8]
As a physician and member of Congress, I find it abhorrent that the federal government is using taxpayers’ money to fund a website that offers this type of information, specifically to help minors ages “15 and under” to have an abortion without their knowledge to get parents. I am also concerned that this outside organization could collect information about minors and use that information to send them targeted advertisements about abortion-related practices. By linking to Abortion Finder, HHS, and with it the federal government, has once again raised a political agenda about parental rights and child safety. Therefore, I request HHS to answer the following questions, question by question, no later than March 24, 2023:
- Why did HHS choose to link to Abortion Finder, a third-party website that promotes abortion procedures and court-evasion orders for people under the age of 15? What factors led to this decision?
- Has taxpayer money been used to support Abortion Finder? If yes, which?
- Does HHS know how Bedsider.org or Power to Decide will use the information entered into the Abortion Finder? If so, how? If no, why not?
- Does HHS know if Bedsider.org or Power to Decide use information entered into Abortion Finder to promote abortion-related practices and other information to people under the age of 15? If no, why not?
###
