South Sudanese news site JTV published an article on 9 October 2019 with the headline “Study says being single at the age of 30s is a disability”. It was then shared on Facebook.
But there is no mention of the name of the study or any age limit in the six paragraph story.
The article is in fact about the World Health Organization supposedly changing its definition of disability to classify people without a sexual partner as “infertile”. The article then includes reaction to this “news”.
The article claims that “according to the Telegraph”, the new WHO classification would mean single men and women, both heterosexual and gay, seeking in vitro fertilization to have a child, would receive the same priority as couples.
The article quotes reaction from a Josephine Quintavalle and a response from “the WHO’s Dr. David Adamson”.
However, the article published by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper that the JTV article draws heavily from was discredited, including by fact-checking organisation AFP Fact Check.
Africa Check has previously discredited similar posts on social media based on the Telegraph article, claiming that the WHO will classify people who cannot find sex partners as “disabled”.
But the original Telegraph article – which the WHO also disputed soon after publication – did not say anything about any “study” or mention the age of 30.
Christian Lindemeier, a WHO spokesperson, told Africa Check that the WHO has not changed its definition of infertility.
He said that the WHO “does not make any recommendations about the provision of fertility care services”.
The headline of the article on JTV is false – it does not relate to the substance of the article. The claims made in the article itself are also false. – Motunrayo Joel
But there is no mention of the name of the study or any age limit in the six paragraph story.
The article is in fact about the World Health Organization supposedly changing its definition of disability to classify people without a sexual partner as “infertile”. The article then includes reaction to this “news”.
False headline
The article claims that “according to the Telegraph”, the new WHO classification would mean single men and women, both heterosexual and gay, seeking in vitro fertilization to have a child, would receive the same priority as couples.
The article quotes reaction from a Josephine Quintavalle and a response from “the WHO’s Dr. David Adamson”.
However, the article published by the UK’s Telegraph newspaper that the JTV article draws heavily from was discredited, including by fact-checking organisation AFP Fact Check.
Africa Check has previously discredited similar posts on social media based on the Telegraph article, claiming that the WHO will classify people who cannot find sex partners as “disabled”.
But the original Telegraph article – which the WHO also disputed soon after publication – did not say anything about any “study” or mention the age of 30.
‘WHO has not changed its definition of infertility’
Christian Lindemeier, a WHO spokesperson, told Africa Check that the WHO has not changed its definition of infertility.
He said that the WHO “does not make any recommendations about the provision of fertility care services”.
The headline of the article on JTV is false – it does not relate to the substance of the article. The claims made in the article itself are also false. – Motunrayo Joel
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
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