Abortion

Did Tim Tebow take a knee in 2012 during the playing of the national anthem? No, he did not: There is no record of the former NFL quarterback kneeling on the sideline as the national anthem was playing before a game in 2012 or any other season. The claim appeared in a meme included in a post (archived here) published…

Did New York schools add a COVID-19 vaccine to the mandatory school schedule? No, that's not true. A claim warning that New York public schools have added a COVID-19 vaccination to the list of required vaccinations amid the coronavirus outbreak is false. Neither the New York State Department of Health nor the New York City Department of Education have added…

Are megachurches and their preachers failing to contribute to fighting COVID-19 or offer their millions to coronavirus relief efforts? No, that is not entirely true. While it's unclear how much money is being directly donated by these churches and their leaders out of their personal wealth, it is clear that some are offering in-kind donations and support during the pandemic.…

Can a U.S. citizen "legally decline" a government-ordered vaccine by asking if it contains "MRC-5" or a possibility of an "iatrogenic reaction"? No, that's not true: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government can force vaccinations, and a citizen can only avoid it if they can prove that they are not "a fit" for the vaccine, and that it…

Do numbers in a photo about worldwide COVID-19 deaths, and other leading causes of death, show that the coronavirus pandemic is a "con" that has been blown far out of proportion? No, that's not true: The picture minimizes the number of deaths from to the novel coronavirus -- by a lot -- and it suggests governments are overreacting with measures…

Will Switzerland allow child rapists to commit suicide in lieu of a prison sentence? No, that's not true: the headline on this article is misleading. Swiss prison officials have begun to consider making assisted suicide an option for certain inmates who are sick, but it's not an official alternative to serving time. The claim originated from an article published by…

Did members of the media falsify an FBI intelligence bulletin that warned conspiracy theories are a new domestic terrorism threat? No, that's not true: The FBI has commented to Lead Stories about the document, and multiple members of the media, including The New York Times, NBC News, and The Hill, have all reported on its existence. The claim originated from…

UPDATE: After this article was published, we received an email from Nathan Berning, executive director of Let Them Live Action Corporation. Berning called the Guttmacher Institute studies we cited "biased." We noted in our fact-check that Guttmacher Institute advocates "advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights in the U.S. and globally" and that both sides of the abortion debate are…

Do Pepsi Co. and other food companies use cells from aborted fetuses as ingredients for their products? No, that's not true: The false claim is based on the use of HEK 293 cells -- which were developed decades ago from live-baby birth fetal cells -- in taste research by another company. The cells are and never have been placed into…

Does a Texas school district mandate teaching kids how to have anal sex? No, that's not true: When the Austin Independent School District's board approved an update of its sex education curriculum on October 29, 2019, it gave every parent the power to opt their children out of any or all of the classes, which did not include any lessons…