Abortion

Has it been confirmed that cells from an aborted male fetus are in the COVID-19 vaccine? No, that's not true: AstraZeneca's ChAdOx1 vaccine candidate has been tested using MRC-5 cells, which are replications of lung tissue cells taken from an aborted male fetus in 1966, but there is no evidence that the cells are in the vaccine itself. MRC-5 cells…

Does Hobby Lobby not sell Jewish holiday items? No, that's not true: Hobby Lobby sells Jewish holiday items -- just as it did seven years ago when a now-recirculating post on Facebook appeared, accusing the company of religious bias. The claim originated from a post (archived here) published by Facebook on September 27, 2013. It opened: In the past few…

Were embryonic stem cells used in the development of Regeneron, the antibody treatment given to President Donald Trump? No, that's not true: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the company behind the antibody cocktail, told Lead Stories that it did not use such cells in the development of its therapy. However, the treatment was tested using cells that were originally derived from an aborted…

Have the Chinese executed more Muslims in concentration camps than the number of Jewish victims who died in the Holocaust? No, that's not true. The U.S. State Department estimates China has rounded up at least 1 million Muslims and some have been executed or died from harsh treatment or abuse, but far less than the 6 million Jews killed in…

Did AARP endorse Joe Biden for president and give financial support to Planned Parenthood? No, both of those claims are not true: AARP is a nonprofit organization that is legally prohibited from supporting candidates and does not have a policy regarding abortion issues. An AARP spokesperson denied both assertions and the person making the claims offered no corroborating evidence. The…

Did Sen. Chuck Schumer have an affair in 1977 with his daughter's best friend from high school? No, that's not true. Neither of Schumer's daughters was born until the 1980s. The story was published by a satire site set up to bait conservatives with unbelievable claims, then shaming them when they believe them and share them online, which is what…

Have other countries proved the U.S. Food and Drug Administration endangered thousands of lives by withdrawing approval of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19? No, that's not true: The findings of clinical studies in the U.S. and overseas show the anti-malarial drug is ineffective against COVID-19. The anti-abortion website saying otherwise bases its claim on an essay published by a…

Did Ruth Bader Ginsburg wage an "active campaign" to repeal the Mann Act and to lower the age of consent for sex? No, that's not true: The claims that the late justice tried to get the Mann Act repealed -- a 1910 law that made it a federal crime to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes -- and…

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…