Internet giant, Google, has settled out of court with The Christian Institute and will now allow religious groups to place factual and campaigning ads on the subject of abortion.
The new policy will apply world-wide with immediate effect.
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The Christian Institute launched a legal action in April after its draft ad was refused. The ad said: “UK abortion law: Key views and news on abortion law from The Christian Institute. https://www.christian.org.uk.”
Google did not display the ad because its former policy disallowed the advertising of sites that mixed “abortion and religion-related content”.
Following an amicable settlement between the parties The Christian Institute published this statement today: “We are delighted to confirm that our legal proceedings against Google for blocking our abortion ad have been settled on amicable terms.
“As a result of the court action and other representations made to Google in recent months, Google has reviewed its AdWords policy to enable The Christian Institute and other religious associations to place ads on the subject of abortion in a factual and campaigning way.
“The new policy will apply world-wide with immediate effect. This is an important issue of free speech and religious liberty and we are pleased with Google’s constructive response to this matter.”