Choose Life Marketing

Choose Life Marketing Develops Highly Targeted Tactics Using Data It Gathers On Pregnant People. “We have established strategies that work based on factors like your budget, geographical location, and the type of abortion-minded woman you are trying to reach.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 2/22/23]

Like Other Anti-Abortion Actors, Choose Life Marketing’s Business Model Relies On Gathering And Manipulating People’s Data – Often Without Their Knowledge Or Consent. “We also found that anti-abortion marketing companies gained access to some of Oldham’s Pixel data, even though she never interacted with their websites. These included Choose Life Marketing, whose website claims to help crisis pregnancy centers develop digital strategies to ‘reach more abortion-minded women,’ […] Those organizations also added Oldham’s Facebook profile to custom audience groups capable of targeting her and people like her with ads for their services, as well as anti-abortion messaging.” [Reveal News, 6/15/22]

Choose Life Marketing Emphasizes Tactics Used To Intercept People That Are Looking For Abortion Care. “We specialize in a variety of strategies, like client-facing website design, SEO and blogging, paid search efforts, video marketing, and social media content creation to help you reach abortion-minded women in your area.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 2/22/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Encourages Using Keywords Like “Abortion Clinics” And “Pregnancy Help” In AACs’ Marketing Strategy To Deceive As Many People As Possible. “When pregnancy centers optimize their website, they should keep in mind what people would search in order to find your services. Some keywords we like to focus on here at Choose Life Marketing are ‘Pregnancy Testing’, ‘Abortion Clinics’, ‘Abortion Information’, ‘Pregnancy Help’ and a variety of others. It is best to create pages for each keyword or subject you would like to cover.” [Choose Life Marketing, 7/15/16]
• Choose Life Marketing Encourages AACs To “Be Creative” In Their Use Of Abortion-Related Keywords. “Choose Life Marketing’s guide recommends that centers note on their websites that they do not provide or refer abortions, while suggesting ad language that’s vague about what the center does provide. ‘You can also be creative and instead use abortion terms in your ads without using them to describe a service offering: “Get the facts before scheduling an abortion…” or “Considering Abortion?” ’ it says. ‘Reaching abortion-minded women requires centers to be very strategic in all areas of marketing, but especially in Google advertising.’ In a guide focused on reaching women in states with restrictive abortion laws, Choose Life recommends that anti-abortion centers ‘bid on keywords related to the next city or town where abortion is available.’ Paid advertising, it says, ‘can help reach her in the knick [sic] of time. This is especially critical for reaching women before they travel for abortion.’” [NPR, 6/22/23]
• Choose Life Marketing Encourages AACs To Blog About Reproductive Health Disinformation In Order To Boost Their SEO. “Blogging is super great for content on your website. It’s super great to capture people’s organic searches. You’re blogging on the topics that a woman is searching and so you’re trying to capture that and interrupt her search in a different way. We suggest at least once a month. So, post a new blog on your website at least once a month and make sure that it’s focused on the abortion-minded woman. So, you don’t want to necessarily be blogging on your parenting programs or the things that you offer like diapers and formula. You want to be blogging on the things that they’re searching about, the abortion pill or ‘do I need an ultrasound,’ or different types of pregnancy tests, the things that they’re looking for.” [Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 4/19/23]
• Choose Life Marketing Manipulates Facebook Advertising To Obstruct Abortion Access. “Donor Facebook Campaigns: Our digital strategists will create advertising copy and graphics that reflect your donor campaign goals. Once approved, we serve these advertisements to a specific target audience that we develop based on your donor demographics, email list, and more. The ads will be tested and managed throughout the length of your campaign.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 2/22/23]
• Choose Life Marketing Highlights Its Use of Facebook Retargeting To Hound People With Ads. “Facebook retargeting provides another point of contact between you and members of your target audience. With retargeting, those who have visited your website or are in your email list will be served ads across Facebook and other social media platforms to remind those visitors of your organization.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 2/22/23]
• Choose Life Marketing Advises AACs On How To Buy Google Ads. “Paid Search Strategies Post Roe: Whether your pregnancy center has been using paid search for years, or you feel a little nervous at the thought of navigating Google ads for the first time, now is your moment. As the legal landscape changes, take a fresh look at how to maximize your ad budget and life-changing impact!” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 2/22/23]

Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs On How To Use Geofencing, A Widespread Nefarious Tactic Employed By AACs. “Geofencing is an advertising tactic that allows you to set up a virtual fence around a physical location. When people walk into this zoned of location, that trigger causes your ads to be shown to people in that area. […] For pregnancy centers, consider where you clients are spending their time and where you most want to reach them and inform them about your services.” [Choose Life Marketing, 10/22/19]

• Choose Life Marketing Wants AACs To “Be Creative” With Their Geofencing In Order To Target High School And University Students And Those At Abortion Clinics. “Be creative with your geofencing – you can set it up around high schools, universities, shopping malls, movie theaters and abortion clinics. Geofencing is an ideal advertising option for mobile pregnancy centers. If you have a mobile unit, you can target the locations where you park your mobile office the days you are there. Using this as a tactic in an integrated marketing campaign will help you more effectively target women facing an unplanned pregnancy.” [Choose Life Marketing, 10/22/19]
• As Of April 2023, Choose Life Marketing Still Says That They Engage In Geofencing. “We offer something called virtual geofencing, and that’s something that we do where we actually put a digital fence around the websites that people are searching and finding when they do ‘abortion near me.’ And then your ads can be fed to them after they leave that website.” [Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 4/19/23]
• Choose Life Marketing Doubles Down On The Use Of Geofencing In A July 2023 Free Marketing Resource.

[“What We Know About Marketing a Year After Dobbs”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 7/18/23]

Choose Life Marketing Teaches AACs How To Use The Software CallRail To “Track How Women Find Your Phone Number” – And Then Text Those Tracked Numbers. “Knowing where and how women (or donors) are finding you will help you know what’s working and what’s not. CallRail is software that helps your pregnancy center track how women find your phone number. It takes the mystery out of which ads, campaigns, and even billboards are working. If you can put a phone number on something, you can track it with CallRail. Additionally, CallRail has a mobile app for iPhone and Android to send and receive text messages from any of your tracking numbers. You and your staff can text from this app on your phone or computer. This means you can be extremely responsive to women reaching out to you for help. If you are an abortion pill reversal provider, having fast access to client communication is critical for saving lives.” [Choose Life Marketing, 5/26/22]

In The Wake Of The FDA’s Decision To Expand Abortion Access Via Telehealth, Choose Life Marketing Promotes Strategies To Intercept And Misinform People About Medication Abortion.

[“Reach Women Before They Reach Out for the Abortion Pill Online!”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Purposely Tries To Confuse People Searching For Abortion Information Online To “Combat” People From Receiving Abortion Medication. “CPCs get help from specialized marketing agencies to lure abortion seekers. One firm, Choose Life Marketing, has a program dedicated to ‘combating’ mifepristone and misoprostol, a pair of drugs commonly known as the abortion pill. On its website, Choose Life advises, ‘Pregnancy centers should have a strong online presence, a relevant website, and a plan to oversaturate Google. This is where women are searching online every day and it’s crucial to meet them there.’” [Columbia Journalism Review, 12/6/22]

Choose Life Marketing Teaches Its Clients How To Deceive People Through YouTube Ads Targeting Specific Demographics And Locations.

[“Youtube Ad Optimization”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

Choose Life Marketing Advises AACs To Create Two Websites – One Geared Toward Pregnant People Seeking Care, And One Geared Toward Donors – Marketed With Different Keyphrases To Hide Donor Sites From Pregnant People.

[“Two Is Better Than One–Here’s Why!”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• This Is A Common Tactic In The Anti-Abortion World. “[M]any CPCs maintain dual websites: a secular site to appeal to pregnant people, and a religious one to appeal to donors and supporters. Heartbeat International encourages affiliates to create two websites, one that describes the anti-abortion mission to secure donors, and one designed for people seeking medical care.” [Alliance State Advocates, 11/23/21]
• In An April 2023 Webinar, Choose Life Marketing Encouraged AACs To Use A Separate Donor Site So That Their Anti-Reproductive Freedom Mission Is Not As Obvious. “We could not encourage more, especially right now, that you have two websites and I know that seems like a ton to manage, but it’s super important to keep your client website for clients and your donor website for donors. And you want to have a donor website, because that’s where people find you who want to support you and get involved. Super important, but you don’t want to be cross-sharing that information. It’s super confusing to abortion-determined women to find things on diaper drives or baby bottle campaigns or your Walk for Life.” [Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 4/19/23]

Choose Life Marketing Advises AACs On How To Get Grant Money From Google To Run Their Ads.

[“Quick Guide to Google Grant”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• In An April 2023 Webinar, Choose Life Marketing Encouraged AACs To Obtain Google Ad Grants. “You want to also persevere, stay in the fight. Remember ultimately who you’re trying to reach and then take advantage of Google ad grants as a way to utilize more ad spend. So, moving some of your service-related ads into that Google ad grant territory so they have more funds available for going after those abortion keywords.” [Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 4/19/23]

[Screenshot from Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 4/19/23]

In 2019, Choose Life Marketing Was Denied a Google Grant Because Of Their Own Websites’ Lack Of Security – And Were Encouraged By Google To Re-Apply. “Obria’s use of Google grants underscores how Google has become a vital marketing tool for such organisations. A group called Choose Life Marketing, which helps CPCs market their services, encourages its clients to apply for Google grants. The Guardian obtained a screenshot of an exchange in January [2019] in which a Choose Life Marketing employee sought assistance in an open online chatroom for not-for-profit organizations seeking assistance for Google ad grant applications. In the exchange, a Google employee explains that two centers’ websites were rejected because they were not secure, not because of their content. They were encouraged to re-apply.” [The Guardian, 5/13/19]

Choose Life Marketing Advised AACs To “Be Vague” When Spreading Anti-Abortion Disinformation To Avoid Marketing Consequences. “Be Vague When Necessary […] Any surgical procedure can have a chance of side effects, including emotional. By wording this in a vague way — it’s possible to advertise post-abortion care on your website without any problems. The times we are living in make us do verbal gymnastics, but we have to do what we can to keep pregnancy center websites available to women in need.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• In A Webinar For AACs, President Nelly Roach Told AACs To Not “Overdo It” When Disclaiming That AACs Do Not Provide Comprehensive, Unbiased Reproductive Health Care Services. “It is really, really important for us to understand how to utilize disclaimers in a way that is not deterring […] Don’t overdo it. […] You’re telling the abortion-minded woman that I’m not gonna get the answers that I need here.” [Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 2/15/23]

Choose Life Marketing Refers To The Aesthetic Value Of A “Medical And Professional Feel.” “Your brand should be an all-encompassing aesthetic experience, and we create branding assets that exemplify your values while resonating with those who are considering abortion. Whether you want a medical and professional feel, something soft and feminine, a cool and calm environment, or something entirely different, our graphic designers and branding team can bring your vision to life.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 2/22/23]

Choose Life Marketing Encourages AACs To Co-Opt A “Scientific Tone” To Attract More People Seeking Information About Reproductive Health Care On Google By Citing Resources From Mayo Clinic, The FDA And The CDC.

[“Your Secret Weapon Against Big Tech”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Encourages AACs To Co-Opt The Term “Reproductive Health” To Legitimize Themselves. “If there’s new words that they’re using out in the world, you want to make sure that you’re incorporating some of that language […] ‘reproductive health’ is a phrase that the other side uses quite a bit. So, make sure you’re incorporating the terms that they’re using as part of the refresh of your content.” [Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 4/19/23]
• Choose Life Marketing Advised AACs To Cite Federal Agencies And Medical Centers When Spreading Anti-Abortion Disinformation In Order To Boost Credibility. “When discussing any medical-related topics—especially abortion procedures—ensure your details are accurate and worded carefully to follow language from reputable sources. Use the same side effects and health risks they use, and avoid terms they deem controversial (like “baby”) and instead use fetus. Additionally, be careful not to make claims not universally recognized. While we know the science behind things like abortion pill reversal and the ties to abortion and breast cancer is valid, because it is not universally recognized as valid, we need to use caution when addressing these topics. We recommend using Mayo Clinic and government agencies such as the FDA and information from the Department of Health and Human Services. Include links to your sources in your blogs or on your web pages. This will help boost your credibility and prevent being flagged for inaccurate information by Google.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

Choose Life Marketing Published A Guide On How To Compete With Actual Reproductive Health Care Facilities By Leveraging AACs’ Services That Are Marketed As Free, But Are Not Actually Free To Participants. “Whether your pregnancy center’s competitors are Planned Parenthood, another abortion clinic, or a center nearby, understanding them inside and out will help improve your marketing strategy, providing key insights so you can attract more abortion-minded women and better serve them. The strategic purpose of knowing your competition lies in identifying your center’s competitive advantages, or superior attributes that place your center in a more favorable position than competitors. For pregnancy centers, providing services at no cost remains the number one competitive advantage. But, research should not stop here.” [Choose Life Marketing, 2/11/21]

In A July 2023 Free Downloadable Resource, Choose Life Marketing Advised AACs In Different States On How To Deceptively Advertise.

[“What We Know About Marketing a Year After Dobbs”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 7/18/23]

Choose Life Marketing Weaponizes Snapchat To Specifically Target High Schoolers During Prom Season.

[“How Snapchat Can Help You Reach Teens During Prom Season”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs How To Target High School And College Students Using Deceptive Marketing. “Back to School: How Your Center Can Reach More Students: High School and college students are crucial audiences to engage. While these students might not be in your target demographic or need your services now, as they age they may become future clients. It is important to speak with them now so that they can start building a relationship with your center. As they get ready to go back to school, you can be preparing your marketing strategies to engage them and let them know who you are and that you are there for them.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs How To Use Facebook Retargeting Campaigns And Meta Pixel To Target Students.

[“Back To School: How Your Center Can Reach More Students”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs How To Use Snapchat Advertising To Target Students.

[“Back To School: How Your Center Can Reach More Students”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs How To Advertise On The Dating App Tinder To Target Students.

[“Back To School: How Your Center Can Reach More Students”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs How To Use Geofencing To Target Students In Schools, Malls And Abortion Clinics.

[“Back To School: How Your Center Can Reach More Students”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

Choose Life Marketing Provides Guidance On How AACs Can Market Specifically To Gen Z. “Who Is She Today? Gen Z is HERE as our new target audience. It’s up to us to bridge the gap between generations so she can hear us and be drawn to hope and choose life.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs On How To Deceptively Advertise To Generation Z Using Relatable Imagery. “Choose Life Marketing, a digital marketing company that works with anti-abortion clinics in the US and Ireland, said in training material posted to its website that Snapchat is a great place to advertise to the younger generation. It gives tips on how to include imagery with young people wearing baggy clothing or hairstyles that reflect Gen Z. ‘Like Facebook and Instagram, it would accelerate the word of mouth that has brought clients through your doors for many years,’ the Choose Life Marketing site said. Snapchat advertisements in particular ‘were effective at getting clients to directly respond to the ad and call pregnancy centers for appointments.’” [Bloomberg, 6/27/23]

Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs How To Deceptively Market To Millennials. “What You Should Know About Millennials: As we continue learning more about the various generations your pregnancy center markets to, we interviewed a variety of Millennials this week to learn how they feel about their generation, perceptions of their generation, how they respond to marketing tactics, and more. We were struck by the contrast regarding how they view their generation vs. how they know others view their generation. It’s always important to utilize empathy and understanding in your marketing – but it is vital when reaching out to this generation who feels misunderstood.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

Choose Life Marketing Has Targeted Facebook Users Who Are Also Users Of Tinder. “Though we did not analyze the presence of CPCs on social media apps TikTok and Snapchat in this Study, digital marketing firms such as ‘Choose Life Marketing,’ which advertises as a Google Partner and Facebook Marketing Partner, show the CPC industry is promoting tactics to target millennials and Gen Z through apps that attract younger users (e.g., Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok) and using Facebook ads to target women who use the dating app Tinder.” [Alliance State Advocates, 11/23/21]

Choose Life Marketing Celebrated The Leaked Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Decision Draft That Would Overturn Roe v. Wade. “Choose Life Marketing, a Columbia-based anti-abortion marketing agency, celebrated the language from the draft opinion. The overturning of Roe vs. Wade does not result in a national ban on abortion. Instead, it redirects discussion and legislation back to the states as the United States Constitution intended,’ wrote Nelly Roach, agency president, in a statement. Choose Life will keep connecting women to ‘life-affirming resources and support in their communities and away from the predatory efforts of the abortion industry,’ Roach said.” [Columbia Daily Tribune, 5/3/22]

Choose Life Marketing Pounced On The Post-Roe Landscape, Releasing A Resource On Strategies For AACs To Push Their Harmful Agenda In The New Environment. “Marketing Shifts for Post-Roe America: The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and now states will decide how to allow or restrict abortion in their state. How should your pregnancy center respond?” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 6/12/23]

Choose Life Marketing Advises AACs On How To Optimize SEO To Appear Higher In Search Results As Pregnant People Search For Actual Reproductive Health Information Post-Roe. “Why Your SEO Matters Post-Roe: Did you know there were over 350,000 searches for the abortion pill the week after the SCOTUS decision? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is significant as we navigate Post-Roe America because more women than ever are online looking for information on abortion. Meet them with the answers they’re looking for with the right content and SEO strategy.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 2/22/23]

Choose Life Marketing Instructs AACs On How To Use SEO To “Intercept Women” Traveling Interstate For Essential Reproductive Health Care Due To State Abortion Bans.

[“Why Your SEO Matters Post-Roe,” downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 7/3/23]

In February 2023, Choose Life Marketing Instructed AACs On Methods To Appear More Credible Amid Heightened Scrutiny After The Dobbs Decision.
 

[Screenshot from Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 2/15/23]

Nelly Roach is the President of Choose Life Marketing, a position she has maintained since June 2016, when it was a Division of Caledon Virtual. Prior to this, Roach became President of Caledon Virtual in 2008, a position she continues to maintain. Roach’s background is in web-based marketing, with increasing focus on SEO – a tactic that Choose Life Marketing emphasizes. Roach is married to J. Michael Roach, who is the Creative Director at both Choose Life Marketing and Caledon Virtual. Roach weaponizes her own experience with an unplanned pregnancy to intimidate and misinform other pregnant people.

Choose Life Marketing Was Founded After Being Approached By And Later Supported By Non-Profit Anti-Abortion Group The Vitae Foundation. “In 2015, Caledon Virtual was approached by the Vitae Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on creating a Culture of Life by using researched-based messaging and cutting-edge media to inform women facing an unplanned pregnancy about Pregnancy Help Centers. Vitae’s Right-Brain research has become a resource and standard bearer for Pregnancy Help Centers both nationally and internationally.” [Choose Life Marketing, 7/8/16]

Choose Life Marketing Operates a Church-Focused Branch, Choose Life Churches. “Choose Life Churches is an initiative of Choose Life Marketing. Our mission is to provide full-service marketing strategies to churches and pro-life organizations to change and save lives. Through strategic, data-driven marketing strategies, we aim to deliver a message of hope and truth, with the ultimate goal of equipping churches and local communities to shine as bright lights for Christ. This is a mission and ministry close to our hearts, and we are proud to partner with organizations that share it.” [Choose Life Churches, accessed 2/22/23]

NIFLA Was Formerly Listed as an Official Partner of Choose Life Marketing. “The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, a charity that provides training and legal advice to more than 1,000 anti-abortion clinics across the US, was listed as a Choose Life Marketing partner on the advertising firm’s website, according to a screenshot that Jack Dobkin, a researcher at rights nonprofit Equity Forward, sent to Bloomberg News. The site removed the reference after Dobkin published a report revealing the link in April. Choose Life Marketing and NIFLA did not respond to a request for comment.” [Bloomberg, 6/27/22]

Choose Life Marketing Partners With SperaVita to Host the Anti-Abortion Conference “The Samaritan Summit.” “This dynamic and energetic conference hosted by Choose Life Marketing and the SperaVita Institute is for pregnancy centers and clinics who want to reach abortion-determined women.” [The Samaritan Summit, accessed 2/22/23]

Choose Life Marketing Recommends SperaVita’s Anti-Abortion Scripts To AACs. “For us, we work closely with SperaVita and we’ve seen the effectiveness of that scripting method, and they have scripting for all the way from people who first answer your phones to your advocates that are meeting with your clients, across the board […] whoever is talking with your nurse, they train your medical staff as well on what to say to give truth to that woman who’s come into your office and lead them hopefully to a life decision.” [Choose Life Marketing’s YouTube channel, 2/15/23]

Choose Life Marketing President Nelly Roach is Featured on SperaVita’s Homepage.

[SperaVita, accessed 2/22/23]

Choose Life Marketing Took Home $1,500 From Working With Missouri Right To Life PAC In 2022. “The 60-employee firm, overseen by President Nelly Roach, also has done campaign work for the anti-abortion Missouri Right to Life political action committee, netting $1,500 in 2022, according to Missouri Ethics Commission reports.” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/2/23]

Anti-Abortion Center Network Heartbeat International Is Cited By Choose Life Marketing As A Development And Training Resource For Affiliated And Non-Affiliated AACs. [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 7/3/23]

Anti-Abortion Center Network Care Net Is Cited By Choose Life Marketing As A Training Resource For AACs. [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 7/3/23]

Anti-Human Rights Group Focus On The Family Is Cited By Choose Life Marketing As A Resource For Anti-Abortion Centers To Acquire Grants For Ultrasound Machines As Well As Propaganda Brochures To Distribute At AACs. [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 7/3/23]

Anti-Abortion Group ICU Mobile Is Highlighted By Choose Life Marketing As A Resource For AACs To Add Medicalized Buses To Their Operations. [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 7/3/23]

Choose Life Marketing Is Listed As An Official Partner Of The Anti-Abortion Group Pro-Life Flag. [The Pro-Life Flag, accessed 2/22/23]

Choose Life Marketing Has A National And Global Reach. “We serve clients in all 50 United States as well as in Canada, Ireland, Taiwan, and Australia. To date, we have provided services for over 600 clients and counting.” [Choose Life Marketing, accessed 2/22/23]

One AAC Testified That They Used Choose Life Marketing To Transform Their Operations From “A Nice Little Ministry” To Be “On The Front Lines” By Amping Up Their Intentional Targeting Of Pregnant People. “True Care [Women’s Resource Center of Casper, Wyoming] also works with Choose Life Marketing to reach the organization’s target audience. […] Winship said she felt ‘really frustrated’ before discovering these effective tools. ‘We were doing a lot of good work, but were not accomplishing our mission,’ she said. ‘If our mission is to erase the perceived need for abortion and we’re mostly seeing carry to term patients, we’re not doing it.’ […] ‘As the leader of the organization, I now had a way I could communicate with donors and say, “Look, we are no longer going to be this nice little ministry down the street. We are on the front lines. We are going after these women intentionally – we know how to do it now.”’ Most young women use social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Google; therefore, partnering with Choose Life Marketing reaches women searching online for abortion.” [National Right to Life News, 11/18/21]

Deceptive Advertisements Made By AACs Generate Millions In Revenue For Google. “Google is betraying the trust of hundreds of thousands of Americans seeking reproductive healthcare and services. Instead of providing accurate results to people who search for ‘abortion clinics near me’, Google is directing them straight towards those who wish only to delay and prevent their care using deceptive practices. […] This report reveals that fake clinics have spent a combined $10.2 million on search ads over the last two years. 71% of those clinics use deceptive means, such as advancing false claims that abortions are linked to cancer and other diseases. 38% of these clinics do not carry disclaimers on their homepage making it clear that they do not provide abortions. Among fake clinics with Google Search ads, 40% promote so-called abortion pill ‘reversal’ (APR) – an unproven and unsafe method for reversing a medical abortion.” [Center for Countering Digital Hate, 6/2023]

Choose Life Marketing Was Identified By The Center For Countering Digital Hate As An Agency That Helped Generate Revenue For Google. “Guides produced by Choose Life Marketing outline a deliberate strategy of targeting people who are already ‘abortion-minded’ or ‘abortion-determined’, presenting them with ads and search results for fake clinics that ‘meet [their] real needs’ […] In pursuit of their goal of targeting ‘abortion-minded’ people, Choose Life Marketing recommends a range of marketing tactics to help fake clinics to ‘show up alongside, or even above, abortion provider information’ […] Other advice from Choose Life Marketing is aimed at improving the ‘credibility’ of fake clinic websites, including ‘[citing] sources like the Mayo Clinic and FDA’ and using ‘pre-abortion screening language’ about ‘important tests and scans’. Referring to the latter tactic, Choose Life Marketing emphasizes that ‘this is part of being wise as serpents, harmless as doves’ in the design of fake clinic content.” [Center for Countering Digital Hate, 6/2023]

• Center For Countering Digital Hate’s Report Stresses That Choose Life Marketing’s Deceptive Advertising Is Making It More Difficult For People To Find Legitimate Reproductive Health Care Providers And Information. “These new findings reflect the digital environment that now exists in a post-Dobbs America, where search engines are lifelines for those seeking care and information about their options – which are increasingly scarce. Google, as the dominant search engine, is therefore also the most effective way of intercepting those seeking reproductive healthcare advice and services. Studies show people have a high degree of trust in search engines, but they also struggle to differentiate organic results from paid-for ads. That’s why we’re seeing anti-choice groups investing so heavily in misleading digital advertising – and over twice as much in states where abortions are still legal. Such is the anti-choice lobby’s focus on online marketing that an entire industry of specialist consultants has emerged. In the words of one such agency, their mission is to help fake clinics become ‘wise as serpents, harmless as doves’.” [Center for Countering Digital Hate, 6/2023]

Between October 2021 And February 2023, Google Made Approximately $2.6 Million From Sites Promoting “Abortion Pill Reversal” – An Unsafe, Unproven And Unethical Treatment That Choose Life Marketing Advertises Using Paid Search Ads. “Previous research published by the Center for Countering Digital Hate in September 2021 found that ads for abortion ‘reversal’ appeared on 83% of Google searches for abortions. These ads could be seen by any user, regardless of their age, and sometimes carried deceptive headlines like ‘find abortion clinic near me’. In response to this evidence, Google stated that it would ‘remove any ads promoting abortion reversal pills’ and that it prohibits ads containing ‘unproven medical claims’. However, analysis conducted for this report shows that Google has accepted an estimated $2.6 million to run Google Search ads for fake clinic websites that promote abortion ‘reversal’ since it made this promise. The sum was spent by a total of 72 fake clinic websites that promote abortion ‘reversal’ and placed ads between October 2021 and February 2023.” [Center for Countering Digital Hate, 6/2023]

• Choose Life Marketing Has A History Of Promoting “Abortion Pill Reversal” – In A January 2020 Post, CLM Encouraged AACs To Prioritize Promotion Of “Abortion Pill Reversal” On Their Websites.

[Choose Life Marketing, 1/28/2020]

• In A December 2021 Post, Choose Life Marketing Advised AACs To Withhold Posting About “Abortion Pill Reversal” On Social Media Platforms, But Said It Still Advertises Abortion Pill Reversal On Google With Paid Search And That It Is “Developing And Testing Workarounds” To Continue To Advertise It. “[A]bortion pill reversal hasn’t been approved by the FDA. For now, we recommend withholding posting about it on social media platforms. We’ve had posts and ads marked as violations of community standards. If you get too many of these, the platform can suspend or shut down your account. We do continue to advertise abortion pill reversal on Google with paid search, though this still comes with similar risks. We’re developing and testing workarounds, and continuing to monitor this topic on an ongoing basis.” [Choose Life Marketing, 12/19/21]
• Choose Life Marketing Self Reports That It Has Received Violations For Promoting “Abortion Pill Reversal,” As It Is A Dangerous Regimen Not Supported By The FDA.

[“What You Need To Know About Social Media Post Roe”, downloaded free marketing material from Choose Life Marketing, accessed 7/5/23]

• In An April 2023 Webinar On Optimizing SEO And Complying With Google Rules, Choose Life Marketing Advised AACs On How To Advertise “Abortion Pill Reversal” Without Getting Into Trouble With New State Laws. “APR [“abortion pill reversal”] […] it is so imperative to stay on top of that so that you can make sure that [what] you have on your landing pages on your website, all of that, matches with whatever is being decided at your state capital. So, for us here in Colorado, it’s looking at how we use the word options, it’s removing, sadly, information on APR.” [Choose Life Marketing, 4/19/23]
• However, Choose Life Marketing Says It Still Runs Deceptive “Abortion Pill Reversal” Ads When There Are No Legal Risks. “We do have a few centers that we run APR paid search campaigns for. So, it can be done […] we have a team of strategists that are really, really good at paid search and so they figured out how to do it.” [Choose Life Marketing, 4/19/23]

Choose Life Marketing’s Extensive And Concerning Use Of Data Has Caught The Attention Of The U.S. House Committee On Oversight And Reform, Who Cited Them In Their Investigation Of The Sale Of Personal Data Of Pregnant People Seeking Abortions. “The Oversight Committee is investigating the collection and sale of sensitive personal data related to access to abortion and other reproductive health services. We are alarmed by recent reports that data broker companies, which aggregate consumer data from various sources, are selling the location data of individuals who have used these services, potentially allowing the misuse of this sensitive information to invade the privacy of those seeking reproductive health care. […] Sensitive location data has already been used to target individuals seeking abortions. In 2015, an advertising firm in Massachusetts used a tactic called ‘mobile geo-fencing,’ to target ‘abortion-minded’ patients sitting in Planned Parenthood clinics with advertisements for RealOptions, a network of crisis pregnancy centers in California, and Bethany Christian Services, an evangelical adoption agency. The firm claimed to have reached more than 800,000 18-to-24-year-old women with this tactic. Another anti-abortion marketing firm, Choose Life Marketing, suggested: ‘Be creative with your geofencing—you can set it up around … abortion clinics.’” [U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform, 7/7/22]

Choose Life Marketing Was Hired By Missouri’s Department of Social Services To Market Its Alternatives To Abortion Program – Which Uses Federal Temporary Assistance For Needy Families Dollars – And May Receive More Money In The Future. “Abortion is banned in Missouri, but Gov. Mike Parson’s administration is spending $266,000 on a social media campaign designed to steer women away from abortions. […] ‘The contractor shall provide digital marketing including social media content creation and web-based advertising for the state agency,’ the contract notes. The company is called Choose Life Marketing. It has done similar work in Arkansas, Florida and for at least one major anti-abortion group in Missouri. The contract could be in place for as long as four years. Next year, the company’s contract could grow to $275,000 annually, according to the state Legislature’s $50 billion budget proposal sitting on Parson’s desk. […] [D]espite abortion no longer being an option within the state’s borders, the new contract will try to steer women to clinics that seek to counsel them against undergoing the procedure.” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/2/23]

• Choose Life Marketing Was Hired By The State To Help AACs Be Seen By Pregnant People “When Such Agencies Are Blocked Or In Any Other Way Suppressed By Any Search Engine, Social Media Platform, Or Digital Advertising Network.” “A contract inked in April shows the Missouri Department of Social Services has hired a Columbia marketing firm that specializes in online advertising – and beating potential roadblocks erected by search engines – to help market the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program. […] As written into the spending plan approved by the Republican-controlled General Assembly in May, the money will pay ‘to help alternatives to abortion agencies reach pregnant women at risk for having abortions when such agencies are blocked or in any other way suppressed by any search engine, social media platform, or digital advertising network.’” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/2/23]
• Choose Life Marketing Will Be Responsible For Advertising Missouri’s Alternatives To Abortion Program Across Social Media. “Work on tap, according to the contract, includes building a website that provides a searchable database of contractors for the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program. While that aspect of the program seems to apparently work based on the state’s website, the company also will roll out an advertising plan that will help the state market the program using various social media platforms. ‘The contractor shall create and develop advertisements promoting the Alternatives to Abortion Program services for production via video, internet video, or other viewable programming provided to be transmitted through various social media platforms,’ the contract notes.” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/2/23]

Senator Josh Hawley Sent A Letter To Google CEO Sundar Pichai On Choose Life Marketing’s Behalf Attempting To Bolster Their Ad Presence On Google. “U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai demanding an explanation as to why ads placed by Live Action and Choose Life Marketing have seemingly been censored. Choose Life Marketing is a Missouri company that works with pregnancy resource centers throughout the country by developing and circulating online ads detailing women’s health services that the centers offer. Recently, while attempting to run ads for a client in the Washington, D.C. metro area, Choose Life Marketing realized that these ads were not running, even though Google designated them as eligible.” [Senator Josh Hawley, 9/15/21]

After Meeting With Choose Life Marketing, A Number Of AACs Were Motivated To Apply For Missouri State Funds And Expressed They Would Use These Funds To Establish A Working Relationship. “Another marketing firm, based in Missouri, specializes in pregnancy resource centers and has a nationwide reach. Choose Life Marketing evaluated HopePlace Newport’s digital presence earlier this year and found it lacking, which motivated the center to apply for advertising funds in August, according to its application. Choose Life Marketing also evaluated HopePlace Monticello and Informed Choices Women’s Center of the Ozarks, according to their applications in the second round. Both centers, plus HopePlace Fordyce and New Beginnings Pregnancy Centers, wrote in their applications that they hope to work with Choose Life Marketing if they receive state funds.” [Arkansas Advocate, 12/12/22]

Choose Life Promo Sells Pre-Made Anti-Abortion Media For Deceptive Advertising. “Your mission is defined. Your vision is solid. You feel called, but are you equipped to spread your message loud and clear to the right people? If not, we can help! Browse our selection of promotional and marketing materials to make sure the right people know about your pro-life organization to you can achieve maximum impact.” [Choose Life Promo, accessed 5/22/23]

• One Pre-Made Reel Spreads Dangerous Disinformation About Reproductive Health Care And Mental Health. “Experts agree that women with depression have greater mental health problems caused by their abortion experience. Discuss your mental and emotional health with a specialist before choosing an abortion.” [Choose Life Promo, accessed 5/22/23]

Choose Life Marketing Is Active On Its Facebook Page, Which Has Nearly 20,000 Followers. [Facebook, accessed 2/22/23]

Choose Life Marketing Is Active On Its Instagram Page, Which Has Over 2,000 Followers. [Instagram, accessed 2/22/23]

[LinkedIn, accessed 5/23/23]