Twitter restricted Democrat’s abortion-rights ad—but platform may backpedal

Enlarge / A still from a campaign video that North Carolina Senator Rachel Hunt (D) shared on Twitter. (credit: @HuntforNC via Twitter)

It seems likely that Twitter's policy restricting advertisers from promoting "abortion advocacy" campaigns could soon be changing.

North Carolina state senator Rachel Hunt (D) told the Huffington Post that Twitter blocked the promotion of a video ad in which she advocated for abortion rights as part of her bid to become the state's lieutenant governor. Hunt shared emails from Twitter with the Huffington Post that confirmed that her election campaign ad's reach was restricted because Twitter's ad policy currently "restricts promotion of health and pharmaceutical products and services," which includes ads for "abortion clinics" and "abortion advocacy."

“Ah yes, the mention of abortion advocacy is the issue here,” Twitter's employee reportedly told Hunt. However, the employee also noted that there may be “some good news to share on that front” in the next week or so.