Abortion

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…

Did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez push for killing more people to save the planet? No, that's not true: an article about AOC backing a report that calls for various measures to tackle climate change misrepresented the "population control measures" the report actually contained by claiming it included killing people. In reality the report called for measures to reduce fertility. The story originated…

Did Joe Biden call Trump supporters the "dregs of society"? No, that's not true: The former vice president referred to "forces of intolerance" who "remain determined to undermine and roll back the progress" as the "dregs of society" in a speech to the annual Human Rights Campaign dinner in Washington, D.C., in September 2018. But Biden said they were "a…

Did Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convert from Christianity to Islam? No, that's not true: the story was put out several years ago by a satirical website as a joke but keeps being circulated on Facebook via various pages and groups even today. The story originated from an article (archived here) on Vatican Enquirer where it was published on August…