Repro Renaissance Takes Over SXSW to Protest Big Tech’s Censorship of Abortion Information
Austin, TX — Amid the spectacle of SXSW, the Repro Uncensored collective is taking over SXSW Austin in full medieval regalia to call out tech platforms for the censorship of abortion and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information by Big Tech.
Our Cavalry of Repro Renaissance—a motley crew of knights on horseback, a “Ye Olde Uterus Herald,” and a cast of medieval peasants—has taken to the streets, declaring, “Since we are silenced on tech platforms and all traditional advertising outlets, we’re communicating ‘ye olde school’ with the town crier and the king’s guard!” If Big Tech insists on silencing abortion resources, we’ll bring our message to the people the only way left: in the streets, as if we’ve been thrown back into the Dark Ages.
This activation is part of Repro Uncensored’s broader campaign to call out tech platforms and digital advertisers for suppressing life-saving healthcare information. Organizations and advocates providing medically accurate details about abortion care are consistently de-platformed, shadowbanned, or outright silenced—an unacceptable reality in an era where digital access to healthcare information is crucial and anti-abortion forces conspire to criminalize abortion providers and seekers more than ever.
The Repro Uncensored collective, led in this activation by PLAN C, EFF, Fight For The Future, and the Latina Institute invites SXSW attendees and the public to join us, share their stories, and report incidents of censorship. Through our partnership with the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), we’ve launched the Report an Incident function to document and fight back against this suppression. If your organization or community has faced censorship, please submit your experience at: www.reprouncensored.org/report-incident.
“Big Tech is everywhere at SXSW, often hiding behind ‘innovation’ and a facade of supporting human rights. We are here to make it clear that these companies cannot claim these values when they are actively holding back reproductive rights, abortion funds, people seeking healthcare, and abortion providers by censoring vital, life-saving information online. Those of us here in Texas, and the US largely, are living under the threat of lawmakers who are doing everything in their power to take away access to abortion, sex education, and birth control: Big Tech is actively making this already frightening situation worse and they will not hold themselves accountable.” —Sarah Philips, Campaigner at Fight for the Future ~ sarahp@fightforthefuture.org
“We’re living in a time when crucial, life-saving information about abortion care is being censored and weaponized to criminalize the very people seeking care. This is a systematic crisis across Big Tech platforms that threatens our fundamental right to know and to share accurate health information. If Big Tech won’t allow us to speak online, we’ll take to the streets, in full Renaissance armor if we have to, to make sure people know their rights and options. We are coming together to call out Big Tech — because when abortion information is silenced, it’s not just about speech, it’s about control over our bodies and our lives.” — Martha Dimitratou, Co-Founder, Repro Uncensored and PLAN C Digital Strategist, martha@reprouncensored.org
“With reproductive rights under attack, it’s vital that people have access to accurate reproductive health information—especially online. Amid growing reports of abortion-related content being suppressed on social media, we’re taking this message directly to the Big Tech platforms at SXSW. These essential conversations about reproductive health cannot be silenced. If you or someone you know has had abortion-related content taken down or shadowbanned by a social media platform, we’re asking you to lend your voice to this fight.” — Rin Alajaji, Legislative Activist at The Electronic Frontier Foundation, rin@eff.org
It’s time to turn the tide against digital censorship and reclaim the right to access and share accurate healthcare information. Join the Repro Renaissance at SXSW and be part of the movement to ensure that reproductive rights remain uncensored in the digital age.
For media inquiries, interviews, or more information, contact: Sarah Philips, Fight for the Future ~ sarahp@fightforthefuture.org
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REPRO UNCENSORED is a global coalition of reproductive health organizations, internet freedom advocates, and creatives, dedicated to ensuring universal access to accurate reproductive health and abortion information. Coalition members include PLAN C, Women on Web, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Sister Song, Fight For The Future reprouncensored.org
FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE harnesses the power of the Internet to channel outrage into action, defending our most basic rights in the digital age. We fight to ensure that technology is a force for empowerment, free expression, and liberation rather than tyranny, corruption, and structural inequality. We are an intentionally small, fierce team of technologists, creatives, and policy experts working to educate and mobilize at an unprecedented scale, achieving victories previously thought to be impossible. fightforthefuture.org
THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION (EFF) is the leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. EFF’s mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, justice, and innovation for all people of the world.www.eff.org
PLAN C researches and shares information on abortion pills by mail and self-managed abortion in the U.S. Since 2015, it has increased awareness and access with free, confidential support. Plan C maintains the only comprehensive, research-based Guide to Pills and runs creative campaigns, media partnerships, and advocacy to expand access while promoting personal agency over abortion care. plancpills.org
THE LATINA INSTITUTE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE fights for equal access to reproductive health for Latina/x communities. For too long, complex systems of oppression have robbed us of the resources we need to make informed decisions about our bodies. We’re transforming lives by building our activist base, shaping policies, and shifting culture to fuel a larger reproductive justice movement. www.latinainstitute.org
GOOD CREATIVE is a cause marketing creative agency and production studio that tells viral stories for social good. wearegoodcreative.com