Digital censorship and suppression that reproductive health organizations have weathered over the years is systemic, unpredictable, and an overt threat to global sexual and reproductive healthcare that relies on the internet and digital technologies to deliver services and disseminate information.
Navigating content suppression has become a critical part of reproductive health work, which takes up a considerable amount of time and resources from a chronically under-resourced sector.
2020 was a turning point regarding abortion content suppression- it was around this time that organizations started to compare experiences and uncover the widespread suppression of abortion content.
SXSW campaign calling out Big Tech for playing a role in censoring information about accessing safe abortions and by turning over data used to criminalize abortion seekers.
PLAN C, Fight For The Future, For Freedoms, Project for Empty Space, Women on Web, and Essentials Creative.
Subsequently, reproductive health and rights organizations started to build a collective understanding of the scale and impact of content suppression, and in 2022 gathered leaders from our space to meet at RightsCon, one of the world’s leading conferences on digital rights. This is where Repro Uncensored was first conceptualized, and the campaign started to take shape. More and more safe abortions are happening at home and online users are searching for
abortion-related answers across the web. Abortion pills and digital healthcare have revolutionized abortion access.
Abortion bans and clinic closures are not stopping safe abortions from happening, and it is our right to seek, receive and impart information that is being targeted and threatened by those attempting to restrict reproductive rights. Access to reliable, scientific and truthful information about abortion is critical for reproductive autonomy and freedom, and reproductive health and rights organizations are often restricted by Big Tech platforms when trying to share essential healthcare information.
Join Repro Uncensored:
Join the coalition and become a part of a movement dedicated to breaking down barriers and ensuring access to accurate reproductive health information for all.
Information is Care.
"Information is Care" campaign created by artist Autumn Breon, in partnership with PLAN C and Women First Digital to emphasize how care also involves sharing accurate healthcare information.
Content removal
Reproductive health and rights organizations have reported their abortion content being removed for “violating community guidelines”, even if the content of the post is not violative. Sometimes, platforms will incorrectly cite that abortion content is removed for violating policies on the sale of regulated goods or pharmaceuticals, even if there is no mention of how to purchase abortion medications in the post. In the most extreme cases, some reproductive health and rights accounts are suspended from social media platforms with little to no explanation, which fully limits their ability to share information about abortion care and how to access it.
Shadowbanning
The action of limiting the visibility of a user on a social media platform or other online space without them being notified. When a user is shadowbanned, the visibility of their organic content to their followers is very limited, and their account may not be found using the platform’s search function. This can severely reduce an account’s engagement, and make the account nearly invisible to other users on the platform.
Reduced Reach
Many reproductive health and rights advocates fear that directly discussing abortion on social media may lead to their accounts receiving less engagement (such as lower views on videos or fewer likes on posts). Out of the fear of being censored, some accounts use alternative spellings of the word “abortion” (such as “@bortion” or “ab0rti0n”) because they believe it reduces the restriction of their content. It is also used to ensure that the content is still visible and discoverable, as users believe the visibility of certain content is limited because of the specific words that they use.
Ad restriction
Some platforms restrict or ban the advertisement of content that references abortion. For example, TikTok and Reddit ban the advertisement of abortion services. Organizations have also reported difficulties advertising about abortion information or services on platforms that don’t explicitly restrict such ads. This ultimately prevents telehealth clinics from being able to reach potential patients who need abortion care.