Facebook’s supposedly ‘unbiased’ fact-checkers are anything but unbiased

Two abortionists selected by Facebook’s fact check organization (to fact check Live Action’s claim that abortion is never medically necessary) wrote a Washington Post op-ed implying that because they are doctors they are to be excused from the possibility of being biased. As previously noted by Live Action News, Dr. Robyn Schickler and Dr. Daniel Grossman both perform abortions and are connected to abortion-promoting organizations — some that are either directly funded by the abortion pill manufacturer, DANCO Laboratories, or are funded by DANCO investors. Days after publishing the hit piece, the Facebook “fact checker” Health Feedback, an arm of Science Feedback, added a third abortion advocate, Dr. Jennifer Gunter, along with “clarifications” from the pro-abortion American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Live Action News has documented the modifications made to the original Health Feedback “fact check” of Live Action below:

• Original fact check with abortionists Robyn Schickler and Daniel Grossman: HERE. (See Live Action News’ background on these abortionists here.)

• September 3, 2019 fact check updated with (pro-abortion) ACOG “clarification”: HERE. (See details on ACOG’s background in abortion from Live Action News here.)

• September 11, 2019 fact check updates with Alexis Shub and Jen Gunter added HERE.

Following a letter from concerned Senators that Facebook had unfairly censored Live Action, Facebook decided to temporarily lift potential restrictions against Live Action and Lila Rose’s Facebook pages, pending an investigation. Facebook’s alleged third party group, the “International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN),” — a unit of the Poynter Institute which selected Health Feedback — released a statement that it is “investigating” Health Feedback for potentially “violating IFCN’s Code of Principles… [of] non-partisanship….”

Daniel Grossman protested the move, claiming that his involvement in targeting Live Action was not out of bias, by tweeting, “I was asked to weigh in on a medical question about abortion by Facebook fact checkers. The fact that I provide abortions doesn’t make me biased — it makes me a well-informed expert.”

In its Code of Principles IFCN claims, “This code of principles is for organizations that regularly publish nonpartisan reports on the accuracy of statements by public figures, major institutions, and other widely circulated claims of interest to society. It is the result of consultations among fact-checkers from around the world and offers conscientious practitioners principles to aspire to in their everyday work.” To be a signatory, IFCN makes it clear that “non-partisanship and fairness” is required.

“The external assessors review 12 aspects related to our five principles: non-partisanship and fairness, transparency of sources, transparency of funding and organization, transparency of methodology, and open and honest corrections policy. The evidence shared by the applicant for each criterion can be rated either as “compliant”, “partially compliant” or “non-compliant”.”

But these abortionist fact checkers are most certainly not “unbiased” or impartial.

1) Robyn Schickler

Robyn Schickler is an admitted abortion provider (see tweets below). She considers abortion — the deliberate killing of a baby in the womb — to be “health care”:

Schickler is a fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health (PRH).

Robyn Schickler abortion provider (Image: Twitter)

PRH’s stated mission includes advocating for abortion and abortion providers.

Robyn Schickler is part of the Fellowship in Family Planning, a division of the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), which trains abortion providers. FFP’s mission statement seeks “[t]o ensure that quality abortion and contraception are valued as core essential components of women’s health.”

Robyn Schickler has held a “Papaya Workshop” to other fellows in the program, to demonstrate how to do abortions using fruit.

Robyn Schickler has tweeted that “‘Pro-life’ is a lie.”

Robyn Schickler supports Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.

Robyn Schickler attacks pro-life legislation as “anti-choice.”

Robyn Schickler openly opposes pro-life heartbeat legislation in Ohio:

Robyn Schickler is a NARAL supporter and tweeted, “we cannot go backwards. #NoAbortionBan.”

Robyn Schickler works for an Ohio Planned Parenthood, according to a directory of providers published by the Ohio Health HMO’s network.

Online sites show Robyn Schickler is also listed at additional Planned Parenthood facilities in Ohio.

Facebook Fact Checker Makes False and Unscientific Claims

2) Daniel Grossman

Daniel Grossmanis an admitted abortion provider who “provides clinical services, including abortion care, as a consultant to Planned Parenthood Shasta Pacific.” Grossman is on the board of NARAL Pro-Choice America [Editor’s note: Grossman ended his time there on September 26, 2019, a month after the fact check] and a well-known abortion facility chain (Whole Woman’s Health). He is a liaison member of Planned Parenthood Federation of America National Medical Committee and has also testified that he is a member of International Planned Parenthood Federation Safe Abortion Action Fund Technical Review Panel (London) and member of the Medical Development Team for Marie Stopes International (London).

Grossman is part of the University of California San Francisco’s (UCSF) abortion training program, is senior adviser at Ibis Reproductive Health, and is behind the push to expand so-called self-managed abortion. Grossman is also behind an abortion pill clinical trial for pharmacy dispensing. Grossman is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal Contraception, where he publishes his abortion studies. That Journal is funded by the Packard Foundation, an original investor of the abortion pill manufacturer, DANCO Laboratories.

Daniel Grossman is an abortion provider:

Daniel Grossman is on the Board of Whole Woman’s Health Alliance (WWHA) abortion chain (WWH has a history of violations) which has fought pro-life measures in Texas on behalf of WWH.

Daniel Grossman is an officer and sits of the board of NARAL Pro-Choice America [Editor’s note: Grossman ended his time there on Sept. 26, 2019, a month after the fact check], whose stated mission is to “develop and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion.”

Grossman has been on the NARAL board for years — here is the current 2019 website [Editor’s note: Grossman ended his time on the board on Sept. 26, 2019, a month after the fact check]:

Daniel Grossman on NARAL Board (2018):

Grossman on NARAL Board 2017:

Grossman on NARAL Board 2016:

Daniel Grossman is a member of the National Abortion Federation (NAF).

Daniel Grossman provides abortions at Planned Parenthood.

Grossman has stated, “I provide clinical services, including abortion care, as a consultant to Planned Parenthood Shasta Pacific, and I serve as a liaison member of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America National Medical Committee.”

Grossman is director of University of California San Francisco’s (UCSF) Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH), which aims to improve access to “safe abortion” in the United States.

Daniel Grossman is on the board of the Later Abortion Initiative (LAI).

LAI claims to focus “on the increased stigma, challenges and barriers for women who need abortions after 18 weeks…Increase the number of sites where later abortion is available and create support for clinics that currently provide vital later abortion care…expand the number of physicians who can perform later abortion, especially at 20 weeks’ gestation and beyond…build support for later abortion and fight restrictions on later abortion at the state level.”

Daniel Grossman is a professor at UCSF and is on staff at UCSF’s Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health, which trains abortion providers.

Grossman is leading the push for so-called “self-managed” abortion and behind several clinical trials to expand abortion.

UCSF is sponsoring Grossman’s pharmacy dispensing and Mail Order dispensing abortion pill clinical trials outside FDA approved safety system known as REMS.

Abortion Industry Pushing Dangerous Abortion Pills

Live Action News has documented several times how the Buffett and Packard foundations were original investors in DANCO Laboratories, the abortion pill manufacturer, along with billionaire George Soros (Open Society Foundations). Live Action News uncovered that the Buffett Foundation has been an anonymous funding source for at least one abortion pill study co-authored by Grossman.

UC’s programs are funded by Packard. In past years, Buffett gave $78 million to the University of California — and according to the New York Times, Buffett is the primary financier of the Bixby Center’s Ryan Residency Program at UCSF, where Daniel Grossman works. In 2016, ProPublica revealed that “Buffett’s main academic partner (receiving at least $88 million from 2001 to 2014) has been the University of California, San Francisco…” where Grossman is on staff.

Daniel Grossman is a member of Editorial Board of Journal Contraception, funded by the Packard Foundation (an investor in abortion pill manufacturer Danco), where Grossman publishes his abortion studies.

Learn more about the Journal’s ties to abortion insiders here.

Daniel Grossman is on staff as a Senior Advisor at Ibis Reproductive Health which is directly funded by abortion pill manufacturer DANCO, as well as investor the Packard Foundation and others.

In addition, Grossman has:

• Provided abortions up to 20 weeks’ gestation at St. Luke’s Women’s Center.

• Worked with the Mexico City Population Council.

• Had his studies funded by the Packard Foundation.

On Twitter, Grossman questioned the knowledge of Live Action president Lila Rose for not going to medical school, yet he advocates for self-managed abortion and for allowing non-physicians to perform abortions.

3) Jennifer Gunter: 

Jennifer Gunter calls the pro-life position “pro lie”…

… and “forced birthers.”

In May, even before Jennifer Gunter’s blog was cited by Facebook’s “fact checker” website, she referred to Live Action as “liars.”

Jennifer Gunter regularly engages with Live Action on Twitter. She has insinuated that preborn children aren’t human beings:

She has claimed babies aren’t killed in abortion:

She seems to get upset by the term “preborn” (warning: profanity):

She has directly labeled Live Action president Lila Rose on Twitter as a “forced birther”:

Jennifer Gunter recently tweeted that “all abortions are needed. The need is to not be pregnant.”

On Gunter’s blog (linked to by Health Feedback), Gunter stated, “I have been an OB/GYN for 28 years and, including my residency, I provided abortion services for 16 of those years. I have not provided abortion services for the past 13 years.”

Gunter added, in part:

I am an OB/GYN board certified in two countries. I did a 5 year residency in which I trained to do abortion up to about 24-25 weeks… For 3-4 of the 6 years that I practiced in Kansas there was no gestational age limit…. That means I could have done an abortion at any gestational age — even right up to the due date….

In general, we will offer a c-section at 24 weeks, but if it looks promising at 23 weeks and 2 days and based on the patient’s wishes we may offer one that early. There are times at 25 or even 26 weeks where we recommend against a c-section and an abortion is offered….

Jennifer Gunter has called information at the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYN (AAPLOG’s) website, “medical lies.”

Jennifer Gunter is currently a scheduled speaker at the Bixby Center which trains abortionists.

Health Feedback Editor: 

Live Action News has previously documented how the “process” used by Health Feedback was flawed and how the editor recruited partisan “fact checkers” with personal motivations to see that abortion is expanded. It wasn’t the first time the “fact check” group chose abortionists to target pro-life groups; the same Health Feedback editor previously recruited two abortionists to “fact check” the pro-life news website LifeSiteNews.

Health Feedback’s editor, Flora Teoh, had a previous position with Singapore research company A*Star as a “postdoctoral fellow in the Humanised Mouse Unit at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology,” which according to one study published in the Journal of Virology used aborted fetal tissue for research. 

American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG): 

Health Feedback published its “fact check” of Live Action and Rose on August 30, 2019, and then, after Live Action responded with evidence that the claim is supported by a large group of doctors with the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists (AAPLOG), Health Feedback updated its “fact check” with a “clarification” from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG).

But ACOG is far from an unbiased source.

• ACOG is a radically pro-abortion organization.

• ACOG funds the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) which trains abortionists and employs Grossman.

• ACOG has been funded by Ibis Reproductive Health, an organization where Grossman is also on staff. According to the Ibis website, the organization receives direct funding from abortion pill manufacturer DANCO Laboratories.

• ACOG is funded by the Buffett Foundation (2016) which invested in the abortion pill manufacturer, DANCO Laboratories.

Ibis receives funds from abortion pill Mgf Danco Laboratories and Packard Gerbode Hewlett

Fact checker “references”

Live Action News previously pointed out how even the references (none which was footnoted as a direct rebuttal to the Live Action claim) also have conflicts because the referenced studies were authored by abortion insiders and funded by abortion philanthropists.

See all documentation on the abortion connections in those “references” from Live Action News here.

Poynter Institute:

The Poynter Institute states online that the IFCN “was launched in September 2015 to support a booming crop of fact-checking initiatives by promoting best practices and exchanges in this field.” But Facebook’s go-to fact check monitor has its own set of conflicts that could point to a bias against pro-life groups…

… Poynter is funded by known abortion philanthropists.

Poynter’s website shows clearly that funding for the Facebook fact check arbiter is provided in part by organizations that fund many pro-abortion projects:

• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• Open Society Foundations (George Soros)

A search by Live Action News located additional funders to Poynter who support Planned Parenthood as well as other pro-abortion endeavors, including:

• John D. and Catherine T. McArthur Foundation

• The Tides Foundation

See documentation on the connections these groups have to abortion here.

If the fact checkers are supposed to be “non partisan” and Live Action has shown that their claim that “abortion is never medically necessary” has been backed by thousands of OBGYNs and other medical professionals, why are pro-abortion doctors again being given last word?

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