Planned Parenthood Michigan had the unpleasant surprise of having one of its posts moderated by Facebook. The social network accused the organization of contravening “community standards,” which establish what is and is not authorized on the platform, Vice said.
The post provided factual information about abortion pills and offered a link to Health.com for information on how to obtain them online, Vice reports. The restriction imposed by Facebook meant that only administrators of the prevention organization’s page could see the post in question.
Facebook alleges moderation by mistake
Facebook’s move was criticized by Michigan Planned Parenthood communications director Ashlea Phenicie. Beyond remembering that abortion is legal in this US state, she especially addressed the social network: “You don’t need to help anti-abortion politicians to further restrict access,” she reacted on Twitter.
Since the repeal of the right to abortion in the United States, Meta had initiated a systematic moderation of content related to abortion pills. The group – owner of Facebook and Instagram – has decided to censor all publications that offer to send these drugs by mail to interrupt a pregnancy. Several accounts had also been temporarily suspended after his message.
This position sought to avoid sending these pills to states where abortion has become illegal. However, Michigan is one of the states where termination of pregnancy is authorized. Facebook told Vice that the post restriction was done in error. The company even noted that “drug affordability and accessibility” are topics for users to discuss.
Discussions about prohibited abortion in Meta
This position, to say the least ambiguous, on the issue of abortion had already been revealed through the collection of data on women seeking information on abortion. Within the company, discussions about the voluntary termination of pregnancy were simply prohibited. An internal memo notes: “Speaking openly about abortion at work poses a greater risk of creating a hostile work environment.”
Since then, Facebook has been embroiled in a legal case related to an illegal abortion in Nebraska. The platform provided the private conversations of a young woman accused of making the body of her stillborn child disappear in a miscarriage. But the examination of the transmitted data allowed to demonstrate the premeditation of an abortion.
Source: BFM TV
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