On June 26, Live Action President Lila Rose went on Tucker Carlson Tonight to expose Twitter’s suppression of pro-life messages. For an entire year, the social media giant has been blocking Live Action from purchasing ads to spread facts about abortion chain Planned Parenthood, messages showing that preborn children deserve the right to life, and videos exposing lies commonly told by the abortion industry.
Twitter asserted that Live Action would need to revamp its entire website, deleting foundational material, or create a brand new website before it would be allowed to advertise. Additionally, Twitter insisted that all tweets calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, discussing investigations into Planned Parenthood, and showing ultrasound images of preborn children would have to be deleted. These are the only conditions under which Twitter has said its suppression will be lifted.
The following tweet from Lila’s account, @LilaGraceRose, is one of many that was flagged for violating Twitter’s hate and sensitive topic policy. The tweet is almost word-for-word a Dr. Seuss quote, with pro-life hashtags added on.
Because a person’s a person, no matter how small. #WhyWeProtest #ProtestPP
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) August 22, 2015
Among the tweets that Twitter claimed were too “inflammatory” to be promoted through an ad buy was a Dr. Seuss quote and a famous statement made by Thomas Jefferson, the second U.S. president and author of the Declaration of Independence. (You can see many others here.)
Because a person’s a person, no matter how small. #WhyWeProtest #ProtestPP
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) August 22, 2015
“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.” – Thomas Jefferson
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) August 9, 2015
When The Washington Times spoke to Twitter about its rejection of Live Action’s ads, the social media company offered a complete cop-out to justify its suppression of the pro-life message. The Times reported that Twitter not only denied Live Action’s evidence of bias, but also pointed the news agency to how well Twitter works with Susan B. Anthony List, a politically-focused, pro-life women’s group.
However, SBA List President Majorie Dannenfelser disagreed with Twitter’s claim, telling The Times that when her group tried to promote a tweet quoting Mother Theresa, their ad buy was denied. SBA List was told that the tweet below “violated Twitter’s policy prohibiting ‘the promotion of health and pharmaceutical products and services.'”
@Twitter finds this promoted tweet quoting MOTHER TERESA in violation of their standards. pic.twitter.com/gqCQNuohBF
— MarjorieDannenfelser (@marjoriesba) March 8, 2017
Of course, propping up bias with a redirection of, “Oh, look over there!” is never the way to save face or right a wrong. Discrimination against one group is not justified simply on the basis that every group is not discriminated against. The suppression of one pro-life message is not suddenly understandable simply because some pro-life message are occasionally allowed.
If Twitter is truly the giant of free expression it claims to be, the publicly-owned company must stop rejecting pro-life ads while willingly partnering with the abortion industry in its ad buys.
