UK anti-abortion charity ran misleading Facebook ads, spend rising tenfold in three years
The article was originally published in the Observer.
‘A leading UK anti-abortion charity with ties to MPs and peers has increased its Facebook advertising spend more than tenfold in three years, spending nearly £190,000 on advertising campaigns.
In a joint investigation, the Observer and the Citizens analysed the spend and content of hundreds of Facebook ads paid for by Right to Life UK between June 2020 and November 2023. The findings reveal the charity – which provides the secretariat for the Pro-Life All Party Parliamentary Group – spent an average of £117,000 in 2023, an increase from an average £11,400 in 2020, £16,900 in 2021 and £43,600 in 2022.
This year, the charity’s adverts – often featuring sensitive images of foetuses and premature babies – had 13.5m impressions, an increase from less than 1m impressions in 2020.’