Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Facebook and Twitter to censor more people who oppose establishment opinions about the safety of vaccines, especially for pregnant women, Reclaim the Net reported.
In a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and a letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Blumenthal called skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine “disinformation” and a conspiracy theory.
Blumenthal said antivax accounts and pages on social media are contacting pregnant women and telling them the shot risks their baby’s life.
In one case, these groups reportedly harassed a woman who miscarried after receiving the vaccine, telling her that the shot caused her baby’s death.
Mothers who have promoted the COVID-19 vaccine, even for pregnant women, have also reportedly received “obscene messages and false information.”
“Time and again, Facebook and its peers have moved far too slow in responding to the targeted harassment and promotion of destructive conspiracy theories against women and people of color,” he wrote.
Blumenthal praised the women who promote the vaccine online.
“These mothers, through raising awareness to the vaccine and setting an example for the community, are doing an immense public service and lovingly protecting their infants. They are also acting responsibly,” he wrote.
Blumenthal’s letter comes in response to reporting from The Daily Beast, “Anti-Vaxxers Wage Cruel War on Pregnant Women Who Get COVID Shot.”
He asked Zuckerberg and Dorsey to implement policies to shut down free speech for pages that question state-approved beliefs.
“These accounts and groups, on both Facebook and Twitter, have also become a launching point for swarms of believers to prey on mothers to create fear, uncertainty, and doubt,” he wrote. “Despite a clear pattern of violating platform policies, these accounts are still active, with large numbers of followers and are easily findable.”
