Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Courthouse News reports:
Yelp and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued one another on Thursday over a disagreement on whether the company mislabels crisis pregnancy centers without abortion services.
As of Sept. 28, 2023, the popular review platform posts a consumer disclaimer on the business profiles of crisis pregnancy centers when they do not provide abortion services. The notice reads: “This is a crisis pregnancy center. Crisis pregnancy centers do not offer abortions or referrals to abortion providers.”
Yelp began labeling crisis pregnancy centers after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to provide transparent information about reproductive health services.
Via press release from Paxton’s office:
After the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs decision concluded that there is no constitutional right to an abortion, Yelp’s CEO issued a lengthy public statement expressing a self-professed need to “take action.”
He boasted that Yelp provides special assistance to “select organizations that are fighting the legal battle against abortion bans,” and he attempted to rally the business community behind the pro-abortion cause, stating, “We need more business leaders to use their platform and influence to help ensure that reproductive rights are codified into law.”
Yelp’s CEO is entitled to his views on abortion, but he was not entitled to use the Yelp platform to deceptively disparage facilities that counsel pregnant women instead of providing abortions.
“Yelp cannot mislead and deceive the public simply because the company disagrees with our state’s abortion laws,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Major companies cannot abuse their platforms and influence to control consumers’ behavior, especially on sensitive health issues like pregnancy and abortion.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Yelp, alleging the review platform’s labeling of crisis pregnancy centers, facilities that aim to dissuade women from having abortions, violates state law. https://t.co/uvtlcPuvCa
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 28, 2023
Yelp and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have filed dueling lawsuits over the company’s descriptions of anti-abortion centers that do not provide abortions or referrals to abortion providers
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 28, 2023