Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Instagram and Facebook Blocked and Hid Abortion Pill Providers’ Posts
d8a347b41db1ddee634e2d67d08798c102ef09ac
By The New York Times
Published 4 months ago on
January 24, 2025

Mark Zuckerberg, the Meta chief executive, attend the inauguration of President Donald Trump at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025. Instagram and Facebook has recently blurred, blocked or removed posts from two abortion pill providers. Instagram also suspended the accounts of several abortion pill providers and hid the providers from appearing in search and recommendations. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Instagram and Facebook have recently blurred, blocked or removed posts from two abortion pill providers. Instagram also suspended the accounts of several abortion pill providers and hid the providers from appearing in search and recommendations.

The actions ramped up in the past two weeks, and were especially noticeable in the past two days, abortion pill providers said. Content from their accounts — or in some cases, their entire accounts — were no longer visible on Instagram.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, confirmed the account suspensions and the blurring of posts. The company restored some of the accounts and posts Thursday, after The New York Times asked about the actions.

Meta has been under scrutiny since its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced sweeping changes to the company’s speech policies this month. Zuckerberg vowed to loosen restrictions on online speech, causing concerns among misinformation researchers and others that the shifts could cause a spike in hate speech and have other harmful effects.

Timing of Incidents Raises Questions

Meta said the moderation of abortion-focused accounts was not related to the change in speech policies. But the timing of the incidents raised questions about whether the company was really loosening speech restrictions, and was another example of its challenges in content enforcement.

A Meta spokesperson attributed some of the recent incidents involving abortion pill-related posts and accounts to rules that prohibit the sale of pharmaceutical drugs on its platforms without proper certification. He did not say why the rules were being enforced now. The company also described some of the incidents as “over-enforcement.”

Meta, which has previously suppressed posts from abortion providers, has said it was making changes to its speech policies partly to reduce the number of posts that were erroneously taken down.

“We’ve been quite clear in recent weeks that we want to allow more speech and reduce enforcement mistakes,” Meta said in a statement.

Lisa Femia, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said that since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, “there’s been a massive uptick in social media platforms removing content related to reproductive health care and specifically abortion pills. This is an ongoing, increasing problem and a real threat to people receiving vital information and guidance about health care online.”

Aid Access, one of the largest abortion pill providers in the United States, said some posts were removed on its Facebook account and blurred out on its Instagram account since November, with more posts blurred in recent days. The abortion pill service said it has been blocked from accessing its Facebook account since November, and its Instagram account was suspended last week, although it has since been restored.

Instagram Accounts Related to Abortion Were Suspended

The Instagram accounts of other abortion pill providers, including Women Help Women and Just the Pill, were also suspended in recent days. The providers said the reason that Meta gave them for the suspensions was that their accounts did not “follow our Community Standards on guns, drugs and other restricted goods.” Both accounts were restored Thursday.

The Instagram account of Hey Jane, another abortion pill provider, was recently invisible in Instagram search, said Rebecca Davis, who leads marketing at Hey Jane. Something similar happened in 2023 until Meta reversed it, she said.

“We know firsthand that this suppression actively prevents Hey Jane from reaching people who are seeking out timely health care information,” Davis said. “Given Meta’s recent promises around free speech, we’re incredibly disappointed to see how the platform is restricting our free speech.”

The Food and Drug Administration permits telehealth providers to prescribe online and deliver by mail the prescription drugs that cause an abortion: mifepristone and misoprostol. Twelve states have banned abortion, and more have placed gestational limits or restrictions on mail-order pills. But providers in states where abortion is legal have been mailing pills to states with bans under shield laws meant to protect them.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Claire Cain Miller, Kate Conger and Mike Isaac/Kenny Holston
c. 2025 The New York Times Company

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

DON'T MISS

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

DON'T MISS

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

DON'T MISS

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

DON'T MISS

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

DON'T MISS

US Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Rubio Says US Will Start Revoking Visas for Chinese Students

DON'T MISS

CA Man’s 378-Year Sentence Overturned After Judge Rules Accuser May Have Made Up Charges

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Faces Life in Prison for Fentanyl, Gun Charges

DON'T MISS

Tiger’s Son, Charlie Woods, Wins Team TaylorMade Invitational in Claiming 1st AJGA Event

UP NEXT

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

UP NEXT

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

UP NEXT

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

UP NEXT

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

UP NEXT

US Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs

UP NEXT

Rubio Says US Will Start Revoking Visas for Chinese Students

UP NEXT

CA Man’s 378-Year Sentence Overturned After Judge Rules Accuser May Have Made Up Charges

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Faces Life in Prison for Fentanyl, Gun Charges

UP NEXT

Tiger’s Son, Charlie Woods, Wins Team TaylorMade Invitational in Claiming 1st AJGA Event

UP NEXT

Wired Wednesday: The Human Side of Law Enforcement

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

12 hours ago

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

12 hours ago

US Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs

12 hours ago

Rubio Says US Will Start Revoking Visas for Chinese Students

12 hours ago

CA Man’s 378-Year Sentence Overturned After Judge Rules Accuser May Have Made Up Charges

13 hours ago

Fresno Man Faces Life in Prison for Fentanyl, Gun Charges

14 hours ago

Tiger’s Son, Charlie Woods, Wins Team TaylorMade Invitational in Claiming 1st AJGA Event

14 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: The Human Side of Law Enforcement

14 hours ago

CIF Expands Field, Changes Medal Rules for State Track Championships Amid Trump Pushback

14 hours ago

Get Ready for Several Years of Killer Heat, Top Weather Forecasters Warn

16 hours ago

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

WASHINGTON — Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump after spearheading efforts to reduce and ov...

10 hours ago

Elon Musk listens as President Donald Trump speaks with reporters in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)
10 hours ago

Elon Musk Exiting Trump’s Team After Criticizing the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

11 hours ago

Tulare Student Will Compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals

12 hours ago

Federal Trade Court Blocks Trump From Imposing Sweeping Tariffs Under Emergency Powers Law

12 hours ago

Why Did the California Senate Shunt a Cost-Cutting Housing Bill?

12 hours ago

Fresno Teachers Call for Probe After Superintendent Orders Up Dossier Against Union

President Donald Trump holds a chart next to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick as Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
12 hours ago

US Court Blocks Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (not pictured) at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 28, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz
12 hours ago

Rubio Says US Will Start Revoking Visas for Chinese Students

13 hours ago

CA Man’s 378-Year Sentence Overturned After Judge Rules Accuser May Have Made Up Charges

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend