WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) urged Meta to protect free speech and ensure its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, do not hide or restrict important information about abortion access.
Recent reports show that posts about obtaining abortion pills were removed or hidden on Instagram and Facebook, and that some accounts were suspended before being restored.
“I am deeply concerned at the chilling effect that suppressing content related to abortion has towards women,” Senator Gallego wrote. “Women around the country rely on medicated abortion as a safe and effective way to address deeply personal health decisions. With more and more people getting their information from social media, it is vital for platforms to continue to offer critical health information.”
READ MORE: Meta accused of ‘bowing’ to Trump by making abortion content harder to find
Senator Gallego also raised concerns about the timing of these changes. They come as Meta and other companies have changed their policies to align more closely with the Trump administration, including rolling back content moderation and DEI initiatives.
“I am also troubled by the timing of these events. Taken together, Meta’s decision to end fact- checking, while simultaneously restricting access to content related to abortion, looks like a calculated move to avoid the ire of President Trump, a well-known opponent of both abortion and attempts to limit mis and disinformation,” Senator Gallego continues. “Given the scale of Meta’s reach into the lives of everyday Americans, preemptively bowing in the face of retribution threats from the administration does a tremendous disservice to the millions of Americans that use Meta every day, and flies in the face of Meta’s stated mission of giving people the “power to share.””
You can read the full letter HERE.