Google blocks all ads on Ireland abortion referendum

May 9 (UPI) -- Tech giant Google said Wednesday it will block all advertisements on its platforms related to the upcoming abortion referendum in Ireland.

As many as 3 million Irish voters will weigh in on the issue May 25, voicing support or opposition for repealing Ireland's Eighth Amendment.

The provision, enacted in 1983, bars abortions in nearly all cases and aims to guard "the right to life of the unborn."

Google's move to ban referendum-related ads online follows weeks of controversy about political advertisements and social media, which have involved Facebook.

"Following our update around election integrity efforts globally, we have decided to pause all ads related to the Irish referendum on the Eighth Amendment," Google said in a statement.

The Google ban will affect all ads on its platforms, including YouTube. It will not affect Google search engine results for other content related to the referendum.

Facebook announced Tuesday it would also block ads related to the abortion vote. Google's, though, is more stringent -- as Facebook's ban covers only ads placed by foreign entities.