Roe reversal puts spotlight on Meta’s abortion content moderation policies
It’s only been a few weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling establishing a constitutional right to abortion — a reality many Americans are still trying to process. The decision is likely to transform the country’s political landscape for decades to come, and has already thrust the U.S. into uncharted legal territory. Since the court’s ruling, ten states have outlawed abortion altogether, and the procedure is now banned with no exceptions for rape or incest in at least five states. Meanwhile, a Missouri lawmaker is pushing to pass legislation deputizing private citizens to sue anyone who helps a Missouri resident get an abortion outside the state — a proposal eerily reminiscent of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793.
The consequences of the ruling are rippling out well beyond the courts or state legislatures. It’s also raising urgent questions for some of the world’s largest social media platforms and technology companies. As we’ve previously reported, people’s digital footprints could be used to aid investigations of abortion seekers, and those who help them, in states that outlaw the procedure.
But users’ online data is just one piece of the puzzle. Social media companies are also facing heightened scrutiny over their abortion-related content moderation policies. In the days following the court’s ruling on Roe, reports emerged of Meta removing posts related to abortion pills and restricting searches for the hashtags “abortion pills” and the abortion medication “mifepristone.”
Meta spokesperson Andy Stone addressed reporting suggesting that Facebook removed posts about mailing abortion pills on June 27, tweeting that the company does not allow “content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, gift, request or donate pharmaceuticals,” but does allow content discussing the “affordability and accessibility” of prescription medication. However, he acknowledged that the company has “discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these.”