Google Mad

Here's a rant for you!

Google Ads - those are the paid advertising that
appears on the right hand side of the Google
search results pages after you do a search.

If you search for "miscarriage," believe it or not,
some of the results for paid advertisers
who have purchased the keyword
"miscarriage" are:

Women's Health Center in Denver
www.denverprochoice.com/

Now why would a center specializing in abortions be
listed under a miscarriage search? hmmm...

Another advertiser under the keyword "miscarriage" is:

PregnancyCenters.org

I went to check out the site and quickly realized that
"Pregnancy Center" and "Option Line" were
euphemisms for "Adoption Center" and "Pro-Life Line."

I had to do just a little more Googling to find
the organization BEHIND the 800 Pregnancy
Centers nationwide - CARE NET - whose recent
Option Line was proudly described on their
site in this way:

During the last half of 2004, the Option Line reported receiving over 4000 calls from women who responded to an Option Line television commercial. According to Option Line data, over 70% of these callers initially shared that they were considering abortion as an option. By contrast, Care Net pregnancy centers report that, after receiving assistance, over 90% of their pregnant clients choose life for their babies.

What are these abortion and pro-life sites doing
advertising under "miscarriage?" I don't know if
it offends you, but it certainly offends me.

Then, there is the lovely:

2004 Top Baby Names site

Yes, I've just miscarried and I'd love to know what
the top baby names are!

Or how about Become-Pregnant.com

Hmmm...I've just miscarried. I was already
pregnant, dammit.

The most prevalent advertiser under "miscarriage"
is the creepy:

Truth About Miscarriages
www.survivingmiscarriage.com/

I think it is about a book but the site is a single long
page that reads like a bizarre advertisement
for miscarriage relief snake oil:

You’re not alone, and you CAN recover from your miscarriage…

At Last There’s A Way To Find The Compassionate Support You So Desperately Need. Here’s How A Heartbroken Florida Psychologist Survived 2 Miscarriages In One Year And Thankfully Discovered The Powerful Secret To Lasting Inner Healing.

Finally, in a simple 30-day plan, you’ll be gently guided through meaningful steps that will help you banish undeserved shame, embrace comforting emotional recovery, and move forward with confident hope for your future.

You Are Not Alone, And You Will
Recover From Your Miscarriage!

Right now, you’re like a ship adrift in the storm, frighteningly on your own to deal with your fears.

And frankly, your deep hunger for comforting answers may drive those closest to you crazy. The result? Even more isolation of your chaotic emotions that leaves you frustrated.

Just like a beacon guiding you to safety through raging seas, there’s nothing more reassuring than finding safe harbor in the darkest midnight of your life.

I’d be honored to be your guiding light.

Honor Your Angel's Memory By Allowing Yourself To Begin Healing Now.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers. But there are some eternal truths of the universe. And they always seem new when they happen to YOU.

If you agree that your loss has meaning, and that your unborn child was not a random accident of nature, then you must also agree that your life is a gift.

And if your sweet angel could whisper to you now, they would beg you to allow yourself to heal.

Honor your baby, by affirming the profound meaning of their brief existence! As their budding life had meaning, so does yours. Bloom for them, by moving forward in renewed strength and hope.

I don't know about you but this advertisement
really creeps me out, but maybe it does appeal to
some women.

I can't believe that out of all the advertisers paying
to have their ads show up under "miscarriage,"
only one is remotely relevant:

Miscarriage Pendant and other Fertility Jewelry from La Belle Dame.

At least that site might just be helpful to
a miscarrying woman like me.

Comments

[LaBelleDame]

I just want to say, that I hope my site and my Google words do not offend or upset you or anyone else. I created the line of jewelry to help other mothers through the grieving process. I grieved long and hard for my lost little one - and was desperate for some token, some tangible something to hold onto. I had buried my baby in a beautiful scarf and had woven a bracelet from a piece of that scarf. I wore it for over a year, and holding onto that connection was pretty much all that got me through. I wanted to be able to give other mothers that same something to hold onto. As one of my clients wrote to me this week The rest of the world goes on like nothing has happened.I wanted to recognise the very real grief of mothers whose babies are lost during pregnancy...I advertise on Google, because I want people to be able to find me - otherwise they don't...

[aliza]

I actually commented that your ad was the only relevant one in the bunch, that even I felt it might be helpful to me. I loved your jewelry and was considering buying something - or sending my husband over to get me a little fertility trinket (hint hint, G., if you are reading this.

The offensive ads were the other ones, not yours - but that was just my opinion as well. Thanks for being in touch.

[Krimojo]

The due date for the baby I lost in September is coming up April 10th. I'm thinking of ordering one of those necklaces. I began to cry when I saw them because I've been looking for a momento of the baby.

Yeah, all the other sites: tacky. And the pro-life sites offend me. It makes me feel like they're implying my miscarriage was an unwanted pregnancy.