The XX Factor

Why Are People Googling “Abortion” in Red States?

A new study found more people search for the term “abortion” in red states , where policies are conservative or abortion options are limited, than in bluer states. The immediate takeaway is the argument pro-choice activists have been waiting for: limiting abortion access does not make the procedure any less in demand.

While I agree, and certainly want it to be true, it seems like a reductive and oversimplified response. It assumes anyone searching for “abortion” wants one, and it’s not taking into account the very vocal anti-choice minority. (Even though 51 percent of Americans identified as pro-life last year , most haven’t taken it on as a cause.)

I’ve searched for “abortion” often (job hazard) and there’s a wash of results that are nothing but political and moral tirades. Sometimes they’re even masked as “facts,” like in my most recent “abortion” search. It turned up abortionfacts.com , which is copyrighted by the pro-life Heritage House, as the third result. Could it be that a good percentage of people are just searching for “abortion” to validate their strong beliefs against it?

While this discovery could be used to further investigate how women get, or don’t get, abortions in underserved areas, it doesn’t say much about abortion demand in red states.

This post originally appeared on TresSugar .

Related Links: Pro-Lifers Protesting Video Abortions Rehash Same Argument , 5 Laws that Bully Women Seeking Abortions