{"id":234010,"date":"2020-11-03T09:27:40","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T15:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=234010"},"modified":"2020-11-03T12:22:09","modified_gmt":"2020-11-03T18:22:09","slug":"facebook-blocks-life-group-fundraising-pregnant-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/facebook-blocks-life-group-fundraising-pregnant-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook blocks Right to Life group from fundraising for pregnant women"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On Monday, Facebook refused to allow<\/a> Illinois Right to Life to advertise a fundraiser that was aimed at raising money to help pregnant women in need.<\/p>\n

The organization’s Project Love<\/a> focuses on helping pregnant women and new mothers who are facing “a financial crisis.” The project provides grants to help the women pay for their rent, utility bills, and other necessities. When Illinois Right to Life turned to their Facebook page to help spread the word and raise funds for Project Love, Facebook claimed the fundraiser violated temporary restrictions surrounding the election.<\/p>\n

Facebook has a policy which bans all \u201csocial issues\u201d and \u201cpolitical\u201d groups from placing any\u00a0<\/em>new ads<\/i>\u2014 regardless of whether or not they have to do with the election \u2014 for the week leading up to the election. And plans to pause these ads beginning the day after the election and until Facebook lifts the ads.\u00a0So while it is well known that Facebook\u00a0restricts new ads\u00a0related to the election<\/i>\u00a0through November 3, 2020, it is not so well known that the social media company also prevents all new\u00a0ads<\/strong> from \u201csocial issues\u201d groups during that time frame as well. (Groups falling under the \u201csocial issues\u201d category would be pro-life groups, gun rights groups, school choice groups, etc.)<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0Option Line sees 40% jump in calls amid pandemic, proving importance of pregnancy centers<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The restrictions seem nonsensical and draconian in light of the nature of this particular fundraiser. Brittany Clingen Carl, Vice President of Illinois Right to Life, told The Federalist<\/a>\u00a0“Helping women facing crisis pregnancies isn’t a political issue. It isn’t even a social advocacy issue. It’s simply doing the right thing by helping women and their children when they desperately need support.”<\/p>\n