Amnesty International Reports On Abortion Access Challenges And Social Media Content Removal In The United States

The United States is facing a significant human rights crisis regarding reproductive healthcare following the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. According to a report published by Amnesty International on August 5, titled Abortion in the USA: The Human Rights Crisis in the Aftermath of Dobbs, the U.S. is failing to comply with its international human rights obligations. This failure stems from abortion bans and restrictions currently enforced in 21 states. These legal barriers have created an unprecedented crisis, characterized by widespread harm and discrimination affecting pregnant individuals, families, and healthcare workers.

The Amnesty International report details the disproportionate impact of these laws on marginalized communities and highlights the confusion and fear generated by the current legal landscape. The organization emphasizes that access to abortion care now depends heavily on an individual's geographic location and available resources. The report includes harrowing testimonies from individuals who have been denied necessary care. For instance, a Latina woman in Texas, pregnant with twins, was forced to travel out of state to save a viable fetus after learning one twin had a fatal condition that threatened the other. She described the experience as the most traumatic of her life, exacerbated unnecessarily by "illogical and dangerous laws." Another individual reported suffering panic attacks daily due to the barriers to care.

Amnesty International has issued recommendations for state and federal governments, including the federal protection of the right to abortion and ensuring equal access to medication abortion and emergency healthcare services. The organization also urges the U.S. to ratify international human rights treaties to ensure pregnant individuals receive the necessary care. Additionally, Amnesty International highlights the upcoming opportunity on November 5 for voters to support ballot initiatives aimed at protecting abortion rights in their respective states.

In addition to legal barriers, access to information regarding reproductive healthcare has been restricted through social media content removal. A separate Amnesty International briefing, Obstacles to Autonomy: Post-Roe Removal of Abortion Information Online, reveals that major social media platforms have failed to respect international human rights standards by removing abortion-related content without adequate justification or transparency. The briefing identifies Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok as platforms that have removed or suppressed content, including information on how to access abortion care.

This digital censorship intensifies barriers to accessing information and can lead to discrimination and human rights violations against people who can become pregnant. Young people are particularly affected due to their reliance on social media for news and information. Research by Amnesty International indicates that following the Dobbs decision, content regarding medication or non-surgical abortions—which are safe and account for more than half of all abortions in the U.S.—was frequently removed, hidden, or marked as "sensitive content" containing "graphic or violent content."

The briefing notes that while some states have introduced bills to restrict online access to abortion information, none had passed at the time of publication. Amnesty International requested information from Meta and TikTok regarding their moderation practices. Meta stated it allows organic content educating users about medication abortion and content offering guidance on legal access to pharmaceuticals, while prohibiting attempts to buy, sell, or trade drugs. TikTok stated it allows abortion discussion in a medical or scientific context but prohibits medical misinformation. However, Amnesty International asserts that the companies' responses do not align with what appears to be happening on their platforms. The organization calls for greater transparency regarding community guidelines, recommendation systems, and content moderation algorithms to ensure users can access essential reproductive health information.

Sources

1. USA: Abortion bans causing 'unprecedented' human rights crisis - new report
2. United States: Social media companies’ removal of abortion-related content