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US gurus’ push false claims to attack birth control pills
The Straits Times
|May 14, 2024
They monetise misinformation to hawk healing’ oils and fertility-tracking service
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WASHINGTON-US wellness influencers are increasingly targeting birth control pills, pushing their followers to abandon the contraceptives with false claims about infertility and low libido that researchers say leave them vulnerable to unintended pregnancies.
The explosion of misinformation on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram comes as reproductive rights take centre stage in the looming presidential election, in a country where abortion is banned or restricted in nearly half the states.
Many influencers - who are not licensed medical specialists - are part of what appears to be a cottage industry of self-proclaimed health gurus monetising misinformation as they hawk "healing" oils and fertility-tracking services.
People seeking reliable information about contraception are met with internet personalities overemphasising the side effects of the Pill.
That includes Ms Taylor Gossett, a TikTok influencer with nearly 200,000 followers who explicitly called the medication "toxic" alongside offers to join her "masterclass" in "natural" birth control.
Conservative commentator Candace Owens suggested on TikTok that birth control causes infertility problems, while "life coach" Naftali Moses told his 280,000 followers that it "changes your sexual behaviour".
This story is from the May 14, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
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