US senators on Monday demanded meta-address reports that their social networks Facebook and Instagram have censored information on how to legally get an abortion.
Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren gave Meta until July 15 to answer questions, including how many posts about abortion have been removed since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a long-standing right to such medical care.
“Reports indicate that several posts detailing accurate information about legal access to abortion services have been removed, often within minutes of the information being made public,” the senators said in a letter to Meta and Instagram chiefs.
In response to a request for comment, Meta AFP pointed to a tweet by spokesperson Andy Stone, which said that while attempts to provide or procure medicines are prohibited by the content policy, posts that talk about access to medicines , but are allowed.
“We have identified a number of instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting them,” Stone said.
A meta error had also resulted in posts about abortion and other issues being accidentally obscured by banners labeling them as “sensitive” material, according to the tech giant.
Senators want to know what action is being taken to flag abortion-related posts, according to a copy of a letter sent to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri.
“As a result of the court’s decision, it is more important than ever that social media platforms not censor truthful posts about abortion,” the senators’ letter read.
For the first time, a pharmaceutical company applied for US approval Monday to make its birth control pill freely available.
HRA Pharma, a subsidiary of Perrigo, said in a statement that it is seeking to move away from prescription for its product Opill, a progestin-only daily birth control pill – also known as the minipill or non-estrogen pill.
The application is now under review by the Food and Drug Administration, a process that would normally take about a year.
President Joe Biden said last week that federal legislation offers the quickest path to restoring abortion rights in the US and urged voters to choose lawmakers in the upcoming election despite a “runaway” Supreme Court.
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