"Meta shuts down global accounts linked to abortion advice and queer content", 11 December 2025

Meta has removed or restricted dozens of accounts belonging to abortion access providers, queer groups and reproductive health organisations in the past weeks in what campaigners call one of the “biggest waves of censorship” on its platforms in years. The takedowns and restrictions began in October and targeted the Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp accounts of more than 50 organisations worldwide... Many of these were from Europe and the UK, however the bans also affected groups serving women in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

Repro Uncensored, an NGO tracking digital censorship against movements focused on gender, health and justice, said that it had tracked 210 incidents of account removals and severe restrictions affecting these groups this year, compared with 81 last year.

Meta denied an escalating trend of censorship. “Every organisation and individual on our platforms is subject to the same set of rules, and any claims of enforcement based on group affiliation or advocacy are baseless,” it said in a statement, adding that its policies on abortion-related content had not changed...

In one email shared with the Guardian, a Meta consultant appears to invite a number of reproductive health organisations to a closed-door online briefing about “the challenges that you are facing with Meta’s content moderation policies”...

Meta said that it aimed to reduce enforcement mistakes against accounts on its platform, but added that the appeals process for banned accounts had become frustratingly slow...

A message from Meta to the group dated 13 November said its page “does not follow our Community Standards on prescription drugs”, adding: “We know this is disappointing, but we want to keep Facebook safe and welcoming for everyone.”... Meta said more than half of the accounts flagged by Repro Uncensored have been reinstated, including Women Help Women which it said was taken down in error. “The disabled accounts were correctly removed for violating a variety of our policies including our Human Exploitation policy,” it added...

Meta said: “Our policies and enforcement regarding abortion medication-related content have not changed: we allow posts and ads promoting healthcare services like abortion, as well as discussion and debate around them, as long as they follow our policies.”....