An ad launched by Progress Action Fund launched, showing an elderly Republican congressman interrupting a couple in the bedroom, has now been banned on X, formerly known as Twitter.

According to the Progress Action Fund, which aims to defeat Republicans in red states, the platform “has censored” its account as well as the ad, called “Keep Republicans Out Of Your Bedroom.” In addition, the platform has “placed a ‘Search Ban’ and a ‘Search Suggestion Ban’ on the account.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, the account did not show up on the social media platform, yet the ad could still be seen on X through retweets from other accounts.

The Progress Action Fund said it contacted the platform’s legal department and “appealed the decision, which was denied.”

Joe Jacobson, Founder and Executive Director of Progress Action Fund, took a stab at X’s owner: “Elon Musk loves free speech, but only when it’s convenient for him and his far-right political agenda.”

“Political speech is protected under law and Musk’s competitors clearly agree that our ad should not be censored,” he continued. “When releasing ads in the future, we’ll be taking them to other platforms, which many others are already doing given Elon Musk’s frantic and poor leadership at Twitter.”

The Independent has reached out to X for comment.

The ad features a scene in which a woman asks a man if he has a condom. He reaches for the condom in a bedside table drawer, and another suit-covered arm appears, reaching for it as well.

“Sorry, you can’t use those,” says an older man, clad in a black suit and red tie, while standing beside the bed. When the woman asks who he is, he replies: “I’m your Republican congressman. Now that we’re in charge, we’re banning birth control.”

The ad urges voters to “vote no” on 8 August, in reference to State Issue 1, which would require proposed amendments to Ohio’s constitution “receive the approval of at least 60% of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment,” rather than a simple majority.

Since acquiring Twitter, Mr. Musk, a self declared “free speech absolutist”, has touted free speech as a pillar of the platform. As part of this shift during the takeover, he reinstated Donald Trump’s account after a two-year ban, which was “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” after the January 6 Capitol riot. He also reinstated at least 11 accounts belonging to prominent far-right and anti-trans influencers.

On 23 November, the platform announced it “is no longer enforcing the COVID-19 misleading information policy.”

As recently as April, the platform claimed to strive to “promote and protect the public conversation. We believe Twitter users have the right to express their opinions and ideas without fear of censorship.”

In May, he wrote: “I am adamant about defending free speech, even if it means losing money.”

Republicans won't stop at abortion. They want to be overseers of all reproduction. They won't be happy unless they are able to monitor every bedroom and doctor's office in the US.

We recently saw how the Republican Alabama Supreme Court ruled against IVF. That ruling was peppered with copious references to Christian fundamentalist beliefs.

Now Republicans are turning attention to birth control. The unhinged MAGA crank Charlie Kirk ranted about this recently.

Charlie Kirk, the head of the MAGA propaganda behemoth Turning Point USA, recently unveiled a novel theory as to why young women tend to vote for Democrats. Unwilling to admit that women can think for themselves, Kirk floated the theory that birth control pills cause brain damage. "Birth control like really screws up female brains," he falsely claimed before a crowd at a recent church event streamed on the far-right site Rumble. Claiming the pill "increases depression, anxiety [and] suicidal ideation," he then blamed women's voting patterns on hormonal contraception. "It creates very angry and bitter young ladies and young women," Kirk argued.

I would argue that Trump and his followers are the ones with screwed up brains. There is a strong tendency of misogynistic patriarchy in the GOP. They feel a need to control women – possibly because of their own feelings of sexual inadequacy.

But of course, Kirk is not sincerely mistaken and he certainly isn't concerned about the wellbeing of women, which all reputable research shows is dramatically improved by having control over their fertility. Kirk's doctor cosplay is part of a much larger and semi-coordinated strategy among right-wing leaders to demonize birth control and train the GOP base into believing that restricting, or even banning, contraception is justified.  As the Washington Post reported last month, right-wing activists have been flooding social media with the same lies that Kirk was echoing in this video. It's a well-financed disinformation campaign, getting a major boost from MAGA billionaire Peter Thiel, who has aggressively financed teams of messengers to falsely claim that hormonal birth control "tricked our bodies into dysfunction and pain." Doctors report that the tidal wave of misinformation about birth control is creating a health care crisis, including women who "come in for abortions after believing what they see on social media about the dangers of hormonal birth control." 

Female empowerment is anathema to many on the far right. And the right to control one's body is part of that empowerment.

At heart, Republicans are anti-freedom.

Of course, the real reason MAGA leaders don't like birth control is they oppose the freedom and opportunities that it has afforded women. Kirk barely bothers to hide that this is his real agenda. In the very same talk, he also tries to threaten women who hold out for Mr. Right instead of settling for Mr. Incel: "In their early 30's they get really upset because they say the boys don't want to date me anymore because they're not at their prime," he claims, echoing the unevidenced revenge fantasy that dominates misogynist message boards. 

Roe v. Wade had been the law of the land for over 49 years until the Trump-Bush Supreme Court rescinded it in 2022.

Birth control medications have been around since 1960. Despite that 64 year precedent, don't think that Republicans won't try to find some way to ban them if given a chance.

god there’s nothing I enjoy more than preemptively ruining my morning with reddit. it’s like taking a morning walk through some sort of nightmare zoo where all the animals have mange.

someone asked on the pennsy subreddit something like “are women’s rights safe in pennsylvania 😫😫” and like, I’m not too worried about it. the abortion restriction here is something like after 23 weeks, and if the pennsy GOP is good at anything, they’re good at nominating thoroughly unelectable gubernatorial candidates who couldn’t even win a game of mini golf. mastriano lost by something insane like 14pts. don’t freak out.

hard not to read this stuff like, “HEY HICKS! are you HICKS or are you normal?” to be honest

Make no mistake, the Republicans aren't just overturned Roe v Wade, they're coming after everything. They've made it very clear they intend to ban all abortions across the country, regardless of state law, and then put serious curbs on contraception. Open wide! Their religious beliefs are going straight down all our throats.

Re, the latest US Supreme Court idiocy: I wish that every time a Bible-twisting cosplayer was handed the right to deny others theirs that the word Christian was not used to describe them. They are frankly incapable of even attempting to follow one of the most basic rules of Christianity (love thy neighbor) and are honestly just using the intangibility of faith to lie their way into the ability to be an asshole without repercussions. Not only that, but they are extremely un-American for wanting to enshrine these false beliefs into law and the Constitution, which increasingly blurs the line between Church and State that they only seem to bring up when they’re upset that they need to meet on Zoom or else they’re at significantly higher risk of catching a plague they refuse to be vaccinated against as though someone did not make that vaccine with their God-given talents. The Lord gave us people of all walks of life so that we may truly understand Him and instead people spit on it. Why would He give us LGBT+ folks if we weren’t meant to strive to figure out how to care for them and let them thrive in a society of love? They can love God just as much as any cishet person--possibly even more than, if you’ll allow--and to theoretically deny someone something as inconsequential as a wedding website? For being gay? It makes me want to SCREAM.

The fact this is coming on the tail end of Pride is not lost on anyone. I’m sure there’s plenty in my archdiocese who would call me a bad or cafeteria Catholic for thinking that LGBT+ folks shouldn’t be denied service based on “freedom of religion” or “freedom of speech”. Well, guess what? Not only is the Lord disappointed in how you treat other humans He made in His image, but the Founding Fathers are spinning in their graves because of how severely you misinterpreted those freedoms. It means the State can’t throw you in jail for being a Christian or a communist dissenter, ya fuckwit, not that you have free reign to be an asshole and not get called on it. And you refer to yourself as an Originalist? Ha! If you were an Originalist, then you’d know that the “Men” in “all Men are created equal” means “people” and that you’d have to acknowledge that women are part of “Men”. Because it’s capitalized. Like the difference between God and god. LGBT+ people are part of the race of Men. So are our Jewish and Islamic cousins in Abrahamic faith. So are our neighbors of varying other faiths and traditions. People who look different, talk different, experience things different, they are still Men. As in the synonym for human. And they’re all equal in their pursuit for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, which is something some people like to deny. A lot. Because they’re libertarian and hands-off-government unless it’s about people who don’t look and act and sound like them being given the same rights and treatment. They claim to be about defending families and traditional values and it’s, like, you’re pissing on real families. A family can be anything. By claiming to defend families and traditional values, what is being offered? Safe places and nurturing environments? No--it’s hate, pure and simple, against anything that doesn’t look like Leave It to Beaver and Father Knows Best.

So please, when reading the headlines today and in the future about the latest travesty that was allowed to happen because a sycophant stacked the court, remember that the greatest lie that mainstream media is knowingly spreading right now--and I’m a huge believer in mainstream press integrity--is that these people are Christians. Because they’re not. Jesus was a cool cat and this was not what He would have wanted. People doing bad shit in His name did not stop at the Crusades, but is a real and genuine problem within the Church and outside of it. If we can see it in sex abuse scandals and money laundering, then we should be able to see it when it comes to people denying the humanity and existence of their fellow Man. It’s there whenever people laud the denial of health care, the denial of legal rights, the denial of history... those are not Christians. Those are little more than weird LARPers attracted to power and the ability to say their word is God’s. Well, guess now’s the time to say that even the famous “papal infallibility” clause of Catholicism has loopholes, because as much as I like the Pope in general, he’s still a weird little old dude. He might have the clearest picture from the Lord, but he’s still human, and therefore is still capable of fcking shit up with a bad turn of phrase or reluctance to go all the way (and honestly, I’m not entirely unconvinced that he’s been avoiding an anti-pope all this time, because I feel like he’s been toeing that line from Day One and am surprised nothing’s been triggered yet). That’s why the conservative rightwing Catholics at least think they’re in the clear despite the fact that even with all his shortcomings, the current Pope sort of has one of the clearest heads in a long while, so oops too bad now stop shitting on the Pope.

In related news, Frankie’s supposed to be due to replace my archbishop sooner rather than later due to an age cap and I hope he can get one not as... tolerant of Christian nationalism and hate towards Men in there. That’d be nice to have, you know, LGBT+ outreach that isn’t underground.

is contraception allowed in Orthodoxy?

The Church doesn’t have a teaching on this one way or the other. The general thought is that it’s an issue up to the couple and their priest.

United States v. One Package of Japanese Pessaries

the courts ruled against the US btw. & then ruled against the US AGAIN on appeal

(I would appreciate reblogs, but don't feel like you have to! Also I would be curious about people's preferences (using them for topping/bottoming) but wasn't sure how to include that in the poll without making topping/bottoming options mutually exclusive)

I see all the posts about the us election and how Biden sucks bc of supporting the genocide in gaza, and how people shouldn't vote for him. Because it will not make any difference since he already sucks.

Stopping the republicans from winning is the only way to avoid another genocide, a full on genocide on trans and intersex people, and soon following gay people. Don't you fucking dare throw trans and intersex people under the bus. Don't you fucking dare say that republican politics would not be any materially different. If you enable republicans to win trans and intersex people will die, and then you will have blood on your hands. Have fun.

And not voting, or voting for unwinnable microparty nr 37, will not stop them.

The whole world is at the slow tipping point of the descent into (further) fascism right now. And letting a fascist regime into power, not to mention in the USA which has serious international power as we are literally seeing right now, will be part of the downfall. Don't you dare let that fact get out of your sight. If the united states turn openly and fully undemocratic it won't even be possible to stop it again at the next election like with trump, because there will not be a next election.

The critical time for stopping a genocide on trans and intersex people (and preserving any bodily autonomy about pregnancy btw) is right now.

The republicans won't support israel less btw. They will support it more because of their doomsday religious death cult that is at the center of their politics.

And no Biden is not a good choice, but an estimated 1.3 million trans people suffering or dying is not collateral.

The House on Thursday passed a bill to protect a person's ability to access contraceptives in a 228-195 vote.

The Big Picture: Lawmakers have been introducing legislation in response to Justice Clarence Thomas' concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade saying that the court should reconsider "all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents," including those guaranteeing birth control access and marriage equality.

• This week, the House passed a bill to enshrine marriage equality into federal law with a wide bipartisan margin.

• Eight Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the bill. They are Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.), John Katko (R-N.Y.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Maria Salazar (R-Fla.), Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio). Two Republicans voted "present."

Details: The bill, known as the Right to Contraception Act and introduced by Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.), is focused on guaranteeing access to birth control measures and protecting health care providers' ability to provide them.

Between The Lines: As more states continue to ban abortion starting at fertilization, it is possible that these could be interpreted to limit access to birth control, since certain forms of birth control, such as intrauterine devices, prevent implantation in the uterus but not fertilization.

• Additionally, medical experts worry that states making abortion illegal could also potentially move to ban contraceptives.

A Republican House lawmaker, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), introduced legislation that would let people over the age of 18 access to birth control pills over-the-counter that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

• The FDA is currently considering whether to approve over-the-counter contraceptive pills from HRA Pharma.

told my grandma abortion was now illegal in the states and she was speechless, i've never seen her look more frightened in my life ever before and all she managed to say was "poor women"

I'm so confused how firstly overturning roe v wade and then wanting to ban contraception is justified? In their minds?? Like if you don't want abortion...then wouldn't you want contraception...so that less people would get pregnant... and therefore less people would need abortions?? How do these guys justify that lmao

TIM MICHELS GAVE UP FUCK YEAH FUCK YEAH

The worse the world gets the better the media that's released lmao