Facebook, at the behest of a left-leaning fact-checking website, has censored the pro-life group Live Action, flagging its content as “false news.” Now the Los Angeles-based organization is putting up a fight.
The third-party outlet Health Feedback, a medical fact-checking website, described Live Action’s assertion that abortion is “never medically necessary” — a claim supported by thousands of OB-GYNs — as “inaccurate.” Relying on that characterization, Facebook flagged the pro-life group, which was founded in 2003 by activist Lila Rose, for spreading “false news.”
Alison Centofante, director of external communications for Live Action, told Faithwire the pro-life group “need[s] to fight this censorship” because it is “the largest pro-life organization online” with more than 3.6 million followers across all its social media platforms.
“And that’s why we’ve been targeted — because we’re really effective and changing hearts and minds,” she said. “And for good, bad, or worse, these are the platforms we all utilize most often. This is where we gather our news and Facebook shouldn’t be the arbiter of truth on a national debate that’s been ongoing in our country.”
Part of the reason Live Action has been targeted, Centofante believes, is because Rose’s pro-life group is unafraid of rebuking Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States.
Centofante went on to say Live Action is “directly attacking and going at [Planned Parenthood’s] bottom line, which is abortion. … So the more educational content we put out that goes viral that changes hearts and minds, the more it affects that industry, and it’s a multi-million-dollar industry.”
Since Facebook flagged its content, Live Action has launched a petition urging the Silicon Valley-based company to “end the suppression of pro-life truth” after it cited abortionists Daniel Grossman and Robyn Schickler in its decision to flag the pro-life videos in which Rose argued abortion is not a “medically necessary” procedure.
The anti-abortion organization has pushed back against Facebook’s censorship by citing the Dublin Declaration, which has been signed by more than 1,000 medical professionals and states, “The purposeful destruction of the unborn child is not medically necessary to save the life of a woman.”
Centofante also noted Live Action has the support of more than 2,500 OB-GYNs who are part of the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Live Action has raised the issue with executives at Facebook, who have said they are looking into the matter. At this point, though, “nothing has changed,” according to Centofante.
“They have told us they are reviewing their process,” she said, adding, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”