Earlier this week, several posts on the Instagram page of Aid Access, an abortion pill provider, were inaccessible to the public. Some images were blurred out, with no option to click through and view the post. Others appeared simply as a gray square with nondescript alt text, as if the image didnt load. Aid Access connects patients with doctors who provide abortion pills via telehealth appointments, and the posts that were blocked from being viewed included instructions for performing at-home abortions using pills. The issues on Instagram first reported by Jessica Valenti also reportedly made it difficult to find the Aid Access account using the apps search function.By Thursday evening, Meta had restored a handful of Aid Access posts, though some appear to still be missing. This latest incident is just another example of how Meta has restricted abortion information online for years. It also comes in the middle of Metas right-wing pivot, as the company has begun allowing more transphobic, racist, and otherwise hateful content on its platforms as it courts Donald Trump.The Aid Access Instagram account as of Wednesday evening. Image: MetaAn example of how Aid Access posts appeared on Instagram. Image: MetaMedication abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy can safely be done at home, according to the World Health Organization. Licensed providers like those working with Aid Access have prescribed abortion pills to hundreds of thousands of patients. Thanks to shield laws, which protect healthcare workers who provide the procedure, patients in states where abortion is banned or restricted can also order abortion medication.Social media is an important place for patients to seek information about abortions, says Rebecca Davis of Hey Jane, which offers virtual reproductive care like abortions and birth control.[Patients] will often turn to social media to just make sure were legit, says Davis, who leads marketing at the company. Weve spent a lot of time and energy to really build up our social presence, so were verified on Instagram, were verified on TikTok.Hey Jane encountered restrictions on Instagram in recent days as well. Davis says the group has gotten messages that its Instagram profile was not easily accessible through the apps search features. The Verge was able to replicate the issue: typing in heyjane or hey jane did not display the account as suggested. Users would need to know the accounts full handle, @heyjanehealth, in order for it to appear as a suggestion.We know that by not showing up in these searches were directly impacting people who are actively seeking this very timely, essential healthcare from getting the information that they need to make decisions, Davis told The Verge.Are you a current Meta employee with info youd like to share? Contact me at mia@theverge.com or on Signal (@miasato.11) using a non-work device. You can be anonymous.Meta spokesperson Erin Logan told The Verge in an email that abortion rights groups are experiencing a variety of issues some due to correct enforcement, as well as over enforcement. Logan said the company prohibits the sale of pharmaceutical drugs on Meta platforms without a LegitScript certification. (Hey Jane is among the providers certified with LegitScript.) Logan said these incidents were not the result of recent Meta policy updates.Weve been quite clear in recent weeks that we want to allow more speech and reduce enforcement mistakes and were committed to doing that, Logan added, though no specifics were mentioned. Regarding issues encountered by Hey Jane, Logan directed The Verge to Metas policies, which state that content promoting the use of pharmaceutical drugs is allowed on the platform but may not be eligible for recommendation. In recent weeks, Meta has rolled back its policies for what users can and cant say on its platforms, opening the floodgates for more hate speech and offensive content under the guise of free expression. But providers have long had information about abortion restricted or removed, according to groups like Amnesty International and Repro Uncensored. Davis from Hey Jane says this isnt the first time the groups Instagram profile has been invisible in search: something similar happened in 2023, when fake Hey Jane accounts were appearing in search instead.Even though abortion access groups have encountered issues on Meta platforms, Davis says its not as simple as moving to another social media site. Many patients use Instagram and other platforms like TikTok to find urgent information.While this moment certainly points to the value in diversifying the platforms that were on, that doesnt necessarily mean that people who are seeking abortion care are going to be off of these platforms, Davis says.