Anti-abortion groups are pushing for new laws to block online abortion ads after the Supreme Court’s decision that ended Roe v. Wade.
The big picture: The National Right to Life Committee has drafted legislation that would make it a crime to advertise information online about methods of ending a pregnancy, Politico reports.
- The bill would treat abortion like organized crime, using a combination of civil and criminal penalties in the same way as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act of 1970, Politico reported.
Details: Google and Facebook could potentially be held liable for any user-generated content promoting abortion that is directed at people in states where such services are illegal, Politico reports.
Why it matters: A total of at least 26 Republican-led states are expected to ban abortions or severely restrict access to them after the ruling, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights organization.
- Online orders for abortion pills – specifically two drugs called mifepristone and misoprostol – are expected to surge following the Supreme Court ruling.
Current status: The FDA lifted the long-standing restrictions in December, paving the way for doctors to prescribe them online and mail them to patients.
The other side: Abortion rights groups say ads should be protected under the First Amendment and that getting ads promoting abortion services approved has been difficult until now.
- “Advocating for a person’s right to an abortion, informing a person about how to legally obtain an abortion, encouraging a person to make their own reproductive health choices are all protected by the First Amendment,” said Vera Eidelman, an attorney with the Project on ACLU on Speech, Privacy, and Technology.
- Instagram and Facebook removed posts from users offering to share abortion pills last month. Meta said the posts violated its regulated goods policies, Vice reported.
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