About one month ago, Roe v. Wade was taken down by the United States Supreme Court. This caused a serious chain reaction of events.
Left-wing protesters have gone after right-wing Supreme Court justices outside of their homes and in restaurants. The pro-choice group known as Ruth Sent Us leaked the addresses of these justices, only to later get suspended from Twitter.
Just days ago, arrests were made outside of the Supreme Court building during a protest about abortion. In Congress, Democratic lawmakers are also working to pass laws that will essentially codify Roe v. Wade.
With all this commotion and unrest, YouTube recently announced its decision to take down content that spreads so-called “misinformation” concerning abortion, per Washington Examiner.
What to Know About This Change
YouTube announced its policies concerning medical information will be used to pull videos that either spread fake news about abortion or reveal dangerous ways for women to self-abort pregnancies.
The video site ultimately doesn’t want content being shared that could endanger women or otherwise misinform people about abortion in general. On top of this, YouTube will also have an information panel concerning abortion that cites details from health and medical experts.
1/ Starting today and ramping up over the next few weeks, we will remove content that provides instructions for unsafe abortion methods or promotes false claims about abortion safety under our medical misinformation policies. https://t.co/P7A27WPYuD
— YouTubeInsider (@YouTubeInsider) July 21, 2022
This is not the first time that YouTube has put a policy like this into effect. During COVID-19, the video sight also removed content that listed various ways of treating the infamous virus.
During this time, YouTube was accused of censorship and acting as an enforcement arm of big pharma.
More Unrest to Come?
While a post-Roe America has been in effect for weeks now, social unrest concerning this issue is unlikely to die down anytime soon.
For folks on both sides of the aisle, abortion is a very emotional topic. Unfortunately, concerns about violence continue to grow.
The attempted assassination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, for instance, has yet to be condemned by the Biden administration. Likewise, protesters are still appearing outside of right-wing justices’ homes, prompting concerns about their overall safety.
3/ We’re also launching an information panel that provides viewers with context and information from local and global health authorities under abortion-related videos and above relevant search results. pic.twitter.com/dGzEn4bIb8
— YouTubeInsider (@YouTubeInsider) July 21, 2022
It remains to be seen whether or not other social media platforms join YouTube in adopting similar policies when it comes to the issue of abortion.
This definitely wouldn’t be the first time that a social media giant took down content that it deemed to be “misinformation.”
News of YouTube’s decision in this regard has already made waves on social media. People of all different perspectives and politics have been weighing in with their thoughts on this move and what it means in the grand scheme of things.
What do you think about YouTube’s decision to pull down abortion-related content that it deems to be misinformation? In the comments area below, please share your thoughts about this newly announced policy.
This article appeared in The Conservative Brief and has been published here with permission.
