FILE – The drug misoprostol sits on a gynecological table at Casa Fusa in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, January 22, 2021.
Highlight
- Instagram and Facebook have started removing posts about abortion pills.
- Such posts were made by users to help women access abortions.
- The post explains how women can get abortion pills legally.
Following the landmark US Supreme Court ruling that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, Instagram and Facebook have begun removing posts providing information about access to abortion pills. Such posts were made by users to help those women who are unable to reach them after the Supreme Court’s decision. Memes and status updates explain how women can legally receive abortion pills in the mail after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Wade, a 1973 decision that declared abortion a constitutional right.
Some Post even offered to mail prescriptions to women living in states that now ban the procedure. Almost immediately, Facebook and Instagram began deleting some of these posts, as millions of people across America were seeking clarity about abortion access.
General mentions of abortion pills, as well as posts mentioning specific versions like mifepristone and misoprostol, suddenly spread across Twitter, Facebook, Reddit and TV broadcasts on Friday morning, according to an analysis by media intelligence firm Jignal Labs. As of Sunday, Jignal had counted over 250,000 such mentions.
News agency AP obtained a screenshot of an Instagram post on Friday from a woman who offered to buy or forward abortion pills via mail, minutes after the court’s decision to overturn her constitutional right to abortion. The post on Instagram read, “Dm me if you want to order abortion pills but want them to be sent to my address instead of yours.” Instagram took it down within moments.
On Monday, an AP reporter tested how the company would respond to a similar post on Facebook, writing: “If you send me your address, I’ll send you abortion pills.” The post was deleted within a minute. The Facebook account was immediately put on “Warning” status for the post, which Facebook said violated its standards on “guns, animals and other regulated goods.”
Abortion pills can legally be obtained through the mail after online consultation with prescribers who have received certification and training. In an email, a Meta spokesperson pointed to company policies that prohibit the sale of certain items, including guns, alcohol, drugs and pharmaceuticals. The company did not explain the apparent discrepancies in implementing that policy.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone confirmed in a tweet Monday that the company will not allow individuals to gift or sell pharmaceuticals on its platform, but will allow content that shares information about access to the pills. Stone acknowledged some problems with implementing that policy on its platforms, which include Facebook and Instagram.
(with AP input)