Texas, Yelp Sue Each Other Over Anti-Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers

[In It to Win It]

Texas, Yelp Sue Each Other Over Anti-Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers

It’s a big day in Texas for suing and getting sued: The state of Texas, represented by embattled state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), and Yelp, are mutually suing each other over a helpful feature on Yelp’s website that was added after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and informs users that anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers don’t provide abortion services.

Yelp first sued Texas in a district court in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday, calling the action preemptive as Paxton allegedly warned the company last week that it planned to sue as soon as Friday. And, right on schedule, Paxton filed a suit against Yelp on Thursday in Bastrop County Court in Texas, claiming the company violates the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act for “inaccurate and misleading language” with its labels. Yelp’s suit calls on the court to affirm that its labels are constitutionally protected speech.

For years, search engines like Google have helped amplify anti-abortion centers and, until fairly recently, allowed them to appear without a disclaimer. Yelp’s labels are a vitally important first step: “Often, people think of Yelp and think of restaurants, but​​ it’s a source that a lot of people go to when they’re looking at all sorts of different businesses and services,” Shireen Shakouri, deputy director of Reproaction, told Jezebel last year. Shakouri noted that for years, abortion rights advocates have taken it upon themselves to leave Yelp reviews on anti-abortion centers specifying that they’re “fake clinics,” and said Yelp’s labels “add an important layer of trust.”

Yelp didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Jezebel on its mutual lawsuit against Texas, but in a statement announcing the labels last year, the company said the “trust and safety of our community is a top priority,” as is “access to reliable information about reproductive health services.” Last April, Yelp also offered to help fund abortion-related costs and travel for employees impacted by bans—but, like other companies, only did so after historically donating to anti-abortion candidates.

[TexasTowelie]

1. It's noted that the suit by Paxton was filed in Bastrop County rather than Travis County

where Austin and the AG's office is located. I wouldn't want to allege venue shopping, would I?

[Lonestarblue]

3. I noticed that, too. Bastrop County is about as MAGA as you can get.

Paxton files lawsuits over every stupid thing he can find, wasting millions of taxpayer funds every year. These are the same people who are suing to eliminate any regulations on the content on social media platforms so they can broadcast their lies and hate far and wide but they think Yelp doesn’t have the same free speech rights. The Supreme Court will likely tie itself into knots trying to figure out how to split hairs on free speech to support Republican lies and disinformation.

[duhneece]

2. These pregnancy centers aren't called by their true name & nature

They don’t provide information on all the options for pregnant people. They lie about fetal heartbeat and demonize abortion.
Good for Yelp.

[calimary]

4. MAN... what lengths some people will go to -

when it comes to the effort to dominate and suppresss women.

Sometimes, I swear, it’s just astonishing.

[dlk]

5. The party of tort reform dearly loves their lawsuits

Paxton’s suit looks like it’s challenging truth in advertising.

[tanyev]

6. Seems like a crisis pregnancy center would proudly say they don't provide abortion services.

Unless they're, y'know, counting on the bait and switch business model.

[Major Nikon]

7. I have some first hand info on how these frauds work

When my wife got pregnant with our first child we needed a pregnancy test to verify her suspicions. In those days you didn’t have home pregnancy tests, and the small military clinic we used didn’t offer them. So we were looking at going to a local doctor and paying full price for the visit and lab. I saw an ad for “free pregnancy test” and we both thought it was worth a try. Nowhere did they say they were an anti-abortion place.

After my wife provided the sample and we were waiting for the results they took us into a room and started asking questions about whether or not we were considering an abortion. We explained to them we had been trying to have a child. That didn’t seem to matter much and they started showing us a graphic slideshow of abortions that had gone wrong, almost certainly from 3rd world countries. My wife got physically ill and we walked out while they physically tried to restrain us from leaving. I threatened to call the cops on them before they would let us leave.

The bottom line is these places totally rely on deception to lure unsuspecting pregnant women. They have only one objective and have no ethical or moral restraints.