Facebook Censors Pro-Life Ad Exposing Pro-Abortion Candidate’s Record

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Nov 1, 2018   |   3:07PM   |   Washington, DC

Facebook continues to censor pro-life ads less than a week before the midterm elections, a prominent pro-life group said this week.

Susan B. Anthony List, which supports pro-life candidates, said the social media giant banned another one of its 30-second ads Thursday. The ad highlights Tennessee Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn’s extensive pro-life record and exposes how extreme her opponent, Phil Bredesen, is on abortion.

“This morning, Facebook abruptly stopped running [SBA List’s] ad in Tennessee,” the pro-life group said in a statement Thursday. “The ad had previously reached 90,000 low-turn out pro-life voters across the state.”

It is the third pro-life ad in two weeks that Facebook has censored.

UPDATE:

Blackburn, who has been a strong pro-life leader in Congress, said the censorship is an example of the liberal elitism of Silicon Valley.

“We have repeatedly seen a demonstrated bias against conservatives, and it needs to stop,” Blackburn said in a statement. “The SBA List has a record of principled leadership on pro-life issues, and it is an honor to have their support in my race for United States Senate.”

She also has been a victim of censorship. Last year, Twitter rejected an ad from Blackburn because she mentioned Planned Parenthood’s sales of aborted baby body parts. Twitter later reversed its decision after LifeNews and other news outlets reported about the matter.

SIGN THE PETITION! Attention Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube: Stop Censoring Pro-Lifers

SBA List also questioned the social media giant’s political bias and pointed to an article at Axios about Silicon Valley leaders supporting a “blue wave” in the midterm elections.

“Is this the real reason @facebook is censoring our #ProLife ads in Arizona, Iowa, and now Tennessee supporting @VoteMarsha?” SBA List wrote on Twitter, linking to the article.

Last week, Facebook also blocked two of its election ads that expose politicians who support late-term abortions. The ads tell the stories of preemies Charlotte Ryun and Micah Pickering who were born at 24 and 22 weeks, respectively. Both now are thriving children. In the ads, their parents speak about the value of their children’s lives and the tragedy of laws that allow unborn babies at those same stages of pregnancy to be aborted for any reason.

The social media site claimed the premature babies’ images were too “graphic.”

One ad also targets Democrat Fred Hubbell who is running for Iowa governor and supports late-term abortions. He is challenging pro-life Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony List, called for an end to the censorship.

“After Twitter shamefully stifled Marsha Blackburn’s pro-life free speech last year, Sheryl Sandberg promised Facebook would never do the same, even if she personally disagreed with it,” Dannenfelser said. “That’s proven to be an empty promise.”

Pro-life advocates have been concerned about censorship by Facebook and Twitter for years. Earlier this month, makers of the “Gosnell” film said Facebook also censored their ads.

Live Action, the youth-centered pro-life organization known for its undercover investigations of Planned Parenthood, said Twitter has been censoring its ads repeatedly. Founder Lila Rose said the social media site blocked their ability to advertise and told them to change information on their websites if they want to start advertising again.

In 2015, Facebook also refused to allow Live Action News to advertise one of its stories because “the image or video thumbnail may shock or evoke a negative response from viewers.” The image was of baby Eli Thompson who was born without a nose.

Facebook became a subject of national controversy in 2016 after some of its workers admitted that they suppressed conservative news stories in favor of liberal ones. LifeNews.com, which is the leading pro-life news website on the Internet and the only one specifically devoted to pro-life issues, has long believed that Facebook has been suppressing its traffic.