In recent weeks Meta has escalated its war against abortion pill providers, blocking, blurring, and outright removing critical content from Instagram and Facebook. This aggressive clampdown, which reached a fever pitch over the last two days, has left healthcare providers scrambling to maintain any presence on the platforms. Posts detailing how to access abortion pills—crucial information for countless people seeking care—have suddenly vanished. In some cases, entire accounts have disappeared from the social media landscape.

While Meta has since reversed some of these actions, the timing raises serious questions. The company has been facing mounting pressure following CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s recent announcement regarding pursuing a “looser” stance on online speech. The billionaire’s promise to relax content moderation sparked fears that hate speech and misinformation would skyrocket. But, this shouldn’t have been the only concern, as in actuality it appears content regarding abortion access has been the biggest target of censorship.

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Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta scrapped its US fact-checking program for a community-based system similar to X and reduced the curbs on discussions around contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity. The move marks a reversal in Meta's content moderation policy as CEO Mark Zuckerberg has long championed active content moderation despite criticism from conservatives for alleged censorship on its platforms. COURTESY: Mark Zuckerberg/FB

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As The New York Times reported, Meta claims the recent censorship was due to its long-standing policy against selling pharmaceuticals without proper certification. But the inconsistency in enforcement is undeniable. Posts about abortion pills—specifically mifepristone and misoprostol, which the FDA approves for telehealth use—are flagged, while other drugs and substances continue to circulate freely. This “over-enforcement” excuse is getting old, especially when Meta admits that these crackdowns are often mistakes.

Trump has only been in office a few days and Meta is already censoring vital information about abortion:

Instagram is blurring and blocking posts from @AidAccessUSA and @HealthMayday, two of the most important telehealth providers in the country pic.twitter.com/4kV9HkMjIC

— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) January 23, 2025

Nonetheless, despite following Meta’s policies, providers like Aid Access, one of the largest abortion pill distributors in the US, have had their posts removed and accounts blocked since November. The company’s Instagram account was even suspended recently, despite having complied with platform rules. The same fate has hit other organisations like Women Help Women and Just the Pill, who saw their accounts disappear, only to be restored after media intervention. It’s clear: Meta is strategically moving to silence the voices providing life-saving resources.

But this isn’t just a problem for one or two providers, it’s a systemic issue. Since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, social media platforms have ramped up their censorship of abortion-related content. A wave of posts offering information on how to access abortion pills, or even just discussing reproductive health, has been scrubbed from online spaces.

Are we really surprised? Zuckerberg has made it clear that his embrace of the Trump administration will have a direct impact on the way Meta moderates its platforms. So, when the CEO promised to “loosen” speech restrictions, we should never have taken it at face value. If the shift were truly about empowering free speech, why does it so conveniently align with an aggressive crackdown on abortion pill content?

The truth is that Meta hasn’t loosened its grip on censorship at all. They’ve just sharpened their focus, targeting vulnerable groups and critical healthcare services.

Moreover, the company’s claim that this is an “over-enforcement” issue does little to reassure anyone. People have a right to access accurate health information without fear of their posts being deleted or their accounts being banned.

This is more than just content moderation, this is about power, control, and the attempt to erase reproductive rights from the digital space. The fight for free speech isn’t just happening in Congress, it’s happening online. And it’s a fight we can’t afford to lose.