Senators Press Meta Over 'Censorship' Of Abortion Posts

• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, Yesterday

Two Senate Democrats are questioning Facebook and Instagram over reports that the platforms have been removing posts related to abortion.

It's now “more important than ever that social media platforms not censor truthful posts about abortion, particularly as people across the country turn to online communities to discuss and find information about reproductive rights,” Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) say in a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri.

The lawmakers say the Supreme Court's recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org., which cleared the way for states to outlaw abortion, led to a spike in social media posts about abortion.

“Many took to social media to share stories about the impact of the decision, let others know how to legally obtain abortion services, and to discuss their personal experiences,” Klobuchar and Warren wrote.

The pair added that reports indicate that Facebook and Instagram removed “multiple posts providing accurate information about how to legally access abortion services,” and tagged other posts with warnings.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said late last month that the company doesn't allow any posts offering to sell or donate pharmaceuticals.

He added that the company had “discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these.”

Klobuchar and Warren are now asking Meta for detailed information about their content-moderation policies regarding abortion related posts, including how many such posts have been removed since June 24 -- the date of the Dobbs decision.