Disability advocate Natalie Weaver has slammed Twitter for
not clamping down on an account that used an image of her severely disabled
child in a pro-abortion tweet.
”Just received an email that Twitter doesn't think a person
using my child's image as the poster child to ABORT & to weed out all the
"defectives" in utero is a violation. Why? Bc they won't recognize
hate toward ppl w/ disabilities in their regulations/reports,” Weaver tweeted
on Monday.
Weaver had reported a tweet by the @OBSIDIANSMOAK account
that used an image of her 9-year-old daughter Sophia. “It is ok to think that
every child matters however a lot of them do not hence the amnio test which
should be a mandatory test and if it proves negative and the woman does not
want to abort then all bills accrued after that is on her and the father,” said
a post accompanying the tweet. Sophia suffers from Rett syndrome, a rare neurological
disorder that affects a child’s ability to eat, speak, walk and breathe. She
was also born with an unknown syndrome that has caused facial deformities.
picture: http://wncn.com/2017/05/31/with-medicaid-cuts-looming-nc-mom-takes-fight-for-medically-fragile-daughter-to-dc/
The mom, who is the co-founder of Advocates for Medically
Fragile Kids NC, is urging Twitter to tighten its rules regarding hate speech
against people with disabilities. “I would like twitter to also add 'hate
towards people with disabilities' to their violation reporting categories,” she
said.
The circulation of Sophia’s image in a pro-abortion tweet
has sparked anger from a host of users on Twitter.
As a result of her disabilities, Sophia requires extensive
care. “She’s an amazing little girl,”
Weaver told Fox News.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2018/01/22/mom-slams-twitter-after-abortion-troll-uses-her-disabled-daughters-image.html
picture: https://twitter.com/nataliew1020/status/930826213391785984
Hi, my name is Natalie Weaver. Before I became a mom I worked as a sales and marketing manager. In my free time I enjoyed painting. I used to display my artwork for years at a gallery in a local arts district. At some point I would like to paint again.
ReplyDeleteAt a very young age I knew that I wanted to be a mom and somehow knew it would be the most important role in my life. Taking care of my family is what I'm truly passionate about. I feel lucky to be able to spend my days at home with my children, Sophia is 2 1/2 and Alex is 9 months old. I couldn't do this without my loving and supportive husband Mark. He is an amazing person. His strength and wonderful sense of humor has helped us get through the most heartbreaking times with our daughter.
Sophia was born with a rare craniofacial condition. So rare that none of her many specialists have seen anyone else like her. She has differences to her face, hands and feet. She is undiagnosed and one of a kind. Sophia's had 6 surgeries and faces dozens more in the hopes of improving basic functions like eating, walking and talking, just to name a few. She has physical, occupational and speech therapy every week to build her strength. In between surgeries and hard work, Sophia is the happiest little girl and loves to laugh. Her strength and beauty amaze me.
http://www.especiallyben.com/2011/04/especially-parents-natalies-story.html
So Weaver and others began reporting the tweet to Twitter on Saturday. On Monday, Twitter responded that the tweet did not violate its rules and regulations. Then, after reviewing the tweet again, Twitter suspended the person who posted the photo and apologized for its error.
ReplyDeleteHello,
Thank you for your earlier
report. Our goal is to create a
safe environment for everyone
on Twitter to express
themselves freely. After
reviewing your earlier report, it
appears as though we missed a
violation. We’ve suspended the
account you reported as it was
found to be participating in
abusive behavior.
We apologize for this error.
Thanks,
Twitter
Thank you @TwitterSupport & @jack for listening! The account that was using my daughter's image has been suspended! Thank you to the thousands of people who reported this & supported us! Thank you for taking a stand against hate!
Weaver’s fight wasn’t over. Julie Ross, a fellow disability advocate, tweeted at Weaver that Twitter does not include hate against people with disabilities in the form users fill out when reporting a tweet.
While hateful content that targets people with disabilities is not included in Twitter’s reporting form, it is included in the social media platform’s hate conduct policy.
“You may not promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease,” the policy states.
Both Weaver and The Mighty have reached out to Twitter about the discrepancy between its policy and how offensive content is reported and have yet to hear back.
While some are turning Weaver’s story into a political one about abortion, Weaver said her mission was to stop a “pro-eugenics creep” as well as address Twitter’s policy issues.
Natalie Weaver
Just now
0k... We need to talk. My story is now being
shared by many different media outlets. They are
rewriting my story to fit their political agenda (to
create more division) and that is wrong. One outlet
went as far as to call the person using my
daughters image, a left-wing abortion activist. NO!
He is just a lone hateful creep who discriminates
against children with disabilities and promotes
eugenics. My story is about the hate towards
people with disabilities and the need for Twitter to
include disabilities in their violation reporting. I am
Pro-Choice & I am a Democrat. If my stance on
abortion and political party make you withdraw
your support from me & my disabled child, then
that is really sad. We are in a time where division is
at an all-time high and if we disagree with one
another then we must hate each other. That is not
me & never will be. I accept all kind, caring and
loving human beings into my life. I hope you will
too.
https://themighty.com/2018/01/natalie-weaver-twitter-reporting-disabilities-daughter-photo/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlsFDQbdTB8
ReplyDeletehttps://www.gofundme.com/helpingDarina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6l2JqD2mMM
ReplyDeleteSee comments at link