Facebook and Instagram have banned adverts for abortion pills.
Following the news that the Supreme Court has chosen to overturn the Roe vs Wade ruling - which now leaves millions of women across the U.S without access to a legal and safe abortion - it was reported that the Meta-owned social media giants will cease displaying adverts for termination pills, but Meta PR Andy Stone insisted that it was simply because the ads would go against their existing policy.
He tweeted: "Content that attempts to buy, sell, trade, gift, request or donate pharmaceuticals is not allowed. Content that discusses the affordability and accessibility of prescription medication is allowed. We've discovered some instances of incorrect enforcement and are correcting these."
Immediately after the bombshell ruling on Friday (24.06.22), the social media apps saw a spike in posts from business owners offering abortion pills to those in need.
One undercover reporter took to Instagram and Instagram to offer their services as a test.
Their post read: "DM me if you want to order abortion pills, but want them sent to my address instead of yours. If you send me your address, I will mail you abortion pills" but the post was reportedly removed from Instagram "within minutes" the same post copied to Facebook received a warning which claimed that it violated its terms against its policies against selling "guns, animals and other regulated goods.".
The US attorney general, Merrick Garland, said on Friday that states should not ban mifepristone, the medication used to induce an abortion
He said: "States may not ban mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA’s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy."
