Stop Censoring Abortion: The Fight for Reproductive Rights in the Digital Age

With reproductive rights under fire across the U.S. and globally, access to accurate abortion information has never been more critical—especially online. 

That’s why reproductive health and rights organizations have turned to online platforms to share essential, sometimes life-saving, guidance and resources. Whether it’s how to access information about abortion medication, where to find clinics, or the latest updates on abortion laws, these online spaces have become a lifeline, particularly for those in regions where reproductive freedoms are under siege. But there’s a troubling trend making it harder for people to access vital abortion information: social media platforms are increasingly censoring or removing abortion-related content—often without clear justification or policy basis. 

A recent example surfaced last month when a number of Instagram posts by Aid Access, an online abortion services provider, were either blurred out or unable to load entirely. This sparked concerns in the press about how recent content moderation policy changes by Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, would affect the availability of reproductive health information. The result? Crucial healthcare information gets erased, free expression is stifled, and people are left in the dark about their rights and healthcare options.

This censorship is alarming, and we’re seeing it take place across popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, where abortion-related content is often flagged or removed under vague “community guideline” violations, despite the content being perfectly legal and factual. This lack of transparency leaves organizations, influencers, and individuals in the dark, fueling a wider culture of online censorship that jeopardizes public access to vital healthcare information.

#StopCensoringAbortion: An EFF and Repro Uncensored Collaboration

In response to this growing issue, EFF has partnered with the Repro Uncensored coalition to call attention to instances of reproductive health and abortion content being removed or suppressed by social media platforms. 

We are collecting stories from individuals and organizations who have faced censorship on these platforms to expose the true scale of the issue. Our goal is to demand greater transparency in tech companies’ moderation practices and ensure that their actions do not silence critical conversations about reproductive rights. 

We are not simply raising awareness—we are taking action to hold tech companies accountable for their role in censoring free speech around reproductive health. 

Share Your Story

If you or someone you know has had abortion-related content taken down or shadowbanned by a social media platform, your voice is crucial in this fight. By sharing your experience, you’ll be contributing to a larger movement to end censorship and demand that social media platforms stop restricting access to critical reproductive health information. These stories will be instrumental in presenting to the platforms the breadth of this problem, drawing a picture of its impact, and demanding more transparent policies.

If you’re able to spend five minutes reporting your experience, EFF and the rest of the Repro Uncensored coalition will do our best to help: https://www.reprouncensored.org/report-incident 

Even If You Haven’t Been Censored, You Can Still Help!

Not everyone has experienced censorship, but that doesn’t mean you can’t contribute to the cause. You can still help by spreading the word. 

Share the #StopCensoringAbortion campaign on your social media platforms and visit our landing page for more resources and actions. 

Follow Repro Uncensored and EFF on Instagram, and sign up for email updates about this campaign. The more people who are involved, the stronger our collective voice will be.

Together, we can amplify the message that information about reproductive health and rights should never be silenced—whether in the real world or online.