Facebook employees were asked to stop discussing abortion at work after the topic became “the most controversial and announced topic” in the company’s internal chat system.
Executives at Meta, its parent company, argue that discussions about abortion on Workplace, an internal social networking platform, have put the organization at “increased risk” of being seen as a “hostile work environment,” according to The Verge.
HR Vice President Janelle Gale during a town hall meeting on Thursday told staff that the abortion discussion isolates some employees and harms the work environment.
“Even if people are respectful and try to respect their views on abortion, it can still make people feel that they are being attacked because of their gender or religion,” she said. “This is the only unique topic that in almost all cases moves this line to a protected classroom.”
Executives also argued that discussing abortions on company platforms violated Meta’s Respectful Communication Policy, which prohibits employees from discussing “opinions or debates about whether abortion is right or wrong, the existence or right to abortion, and political, religious, and humanitarian views. for abortion “. topic. ‘
The policy, which has reportedly been in place since 2019, has led to a split among employees after a leaked draft Supreme Court ruling revealed the court voted to repeal the iconic 1973 Rove v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion in the United States.
Meta employees were told to stop discussing abortion at work after the topic became “the most divisive and reported” on the company’s internal social media platform
Some Meta employees have called on management to eliminate abortion policy, arguing that it violates rules that allow employees to “respectfully” talk about other pressing issues, such as the Black Lives Matter, immigration and transgender rights.
“The same policy allows us to discuss equally sensitive issues and movements, including immigration, transgender rights, climate change, black life, gun rights / gun control and vaccination,” said a 10-year-old Meta employee. , arguing that politics made her feel a “A strong sense of silence and isolation in the workplace.”
HR Vice President Janelle Gale told staff at a town hall meeting on Thursday that abortion had become “the most legible and stated topic” in the workplace and that discussions had isolated some staff.
“The argument about why our policy treats one issue quite differently than other sensitive issues seems shaky and unconvincing to me,” she added. “The whole process of fighting the policy of respectful communication when I was told why my post was being broken and creating this new message felt dehumanizing and anti-utopian.”
While many staff members expressed frustration with the obvious double standards regarding “respectable” content, The Verge reports that some staff members supported a ban on discussions on a controversial topic.
The policy, though operating over the years, appears to have been poorly managed, as Мета 2 Meta’s chief executive, chief operating officer Cheryl Sandberg, herself turned to Rowe v. Wade on her public Facebook page earlier this month.
In a May 3 statement, Sandberg responded to the SCOTUS leak and called abortion “one of our most fundamental rights.”
“Every woman, no matter where she lives, should be free to choose whether or not she becomes a mother,” she wrote. “Several things are more important for women’s health and equality.”
The day after she publicly supported Rowe v. Wade, Meta reportedly threw down the hammer and began pursuing a communications policy.
Meta CEO number two, chief operating officer Cheryl Sandberg addressed Roe v Wade on her public Facebook page earlier this month
There are a lot of sensitive issues at work around this topic, which complicates the discussion in the workplace, ”senior executive director Naomi Glate wrote in an internal note received by The Verge on May 4.
Glight said employees could only discuss abortion at work with “a trusted colleague in a private setting (such as live, chatting, etc.)” and “listening to a small group of up to 5 like-minded people to show solidarity.” . ‘
She urged employees to express their opinions in their personal social media accounts, but refrain from doing so on work platforms.
Glight also assured employees that Meta “will continue to offer our employees access to reproductive health in the United States, no matter where they live.”
Meanwhile, the impending Supreme Court decision to overturn Rowe v. Wade has resonated across the United States
Protesters gathered in local, state and national government buildings, as well as near the homes of some SCOTUS judges.
Meanwhile, the impending Supreme Court decision to overturn Rowe v. Wade has sparked outrage in the United States. Protesters gathered in the buildings of local, state and national governments, as well as near the homes of some SCOTUS judges. In the photo: May 14 abortion in DC
The federal government is preparing for an outbreak of political violence when SCOTUS formally rules on abortion in June, which is expected to overturn Rowe v. Wade.
An intelligence note from the Department of Homeland Security dated May 13 said that in the coming weeks, threats against Supreme Court judges, clerks, lawmakers, clergy and health officials are expected to increase.
“DHS is committed to protecting Americans; freedom of expression and other civil rights and civil liberties, including the right to peaceful protest, ”the agency said in a written response to questions about the note.
The note warns that people “with a wide range of different … ideologies are trying to justify and inspire attacks against abortion and ideological opponents in legitimate protests.”
Twenty-six states are likely to ban abortions if Rowe v. Wade is officially repealed, which will, in effect, ban abortions in more than half the country. Eighteen states already have restrictive abortion laws.
26 states where abortion is likely to go illegal if SCOTUS repeals Rowe vs. Wade
In 26 states where abortion is likely to become illegal if SCOTUS lifts Rowe’s confrontation against Wade after a draft opinion leak revealed that a majority of judges supported the move
More than half of all U.S. states have some sort of abortion ban that could take effect if the United States Supreme Court overturns Rowe v. Wade.
According to the human rights group The Guttmacher Institute, there are 26 states that are likely to make abortions illegal if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 ruling.
18 have existing abortion bans that were previously declared unconstitutional, four have a time limit and four are likely to pass laws if Rowe v. Wade is lifted, the organization found.
The 18 states where an almost complete abortion ban is already included in the books are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West West. , Wisconsin and Wyoming.
In addition, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and South Carolina have laws banning abortion after a six-week assessment.
Florida, Indiana, Montana and Nebraska are likely to pass bills if Rowe v. Wade is repealed, the Guttmacher Institute reports.
Prohibitions in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin have previous laws against Rowe v. Wade that became unenforceable after the Supreme Court ruled in 1973 – it will come into force the precedent set in Roe was overturned.
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Texas have additional bans that will take effect if the law is repealed. They were transferred after Roe v Wade.
Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Wyoming have joined them in passing such laws.
The states that will limit abortions based on the length of the pregnancy are Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota and Ohio.
Four states have laws that make abortion unconstitutional: Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and West Virginia.
