A group of 17 attorneys general (AGs) warned search engine giant Google against censoring pregnancy crisis centers. The group said an anti-trust investigation awaits Google should the tech giant suppress search results for these centers.
Virginia AG Jason Miyares and Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron led the coalition in penning the July 21 letter to the Big Tech firm.
The coalition's July 21 letter asked Google if it has taken any steps to treat pregnancy crisis centers differently in search engine results ever since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June. Pregnancy crisis centers provide resources for women who choose to carry their babies to full term. Abortion centers, on the other hand, espouse abortifacient drugs or medical procedures to kill the baby in the womb.
Former Indiana AG Curtis Hill lauded the group's effort, adding that the threat of "possible antitrust sanctions" was "highly appropriate." He added that Google operates in all U.S. states, which means it falls under the jurisdiction of each top attorney's consumer advocacy responsibilities.
"They have the right to investigate companies that are operating within their state on information that consumers are being duped or otherwise are having difficulty being treated fairly," Hill told the Epoch Times.
Christy Ann Collins, executive director of the Texas-based Crisis Pregnancy Support Center (CPSC), remarked that most of their referrals come from word of mouth and they had no plans to compete with abortion listings. Nevertheless, she lauded the 17 AGs for standing up against censorship.
"Google or anybody else shouldn't be stifling free speech, not on this issue or any other issue. If somebody is interested in alternative information or they are interested in crisis pregnancy centers, we shouldn't be blocked out," Collins said.
Hill: Dems want Google to suppress information at government's behest
The coalition's July 21 letter was sent in response to an earlier letter sent by Democratic members of Congress. The June 17 letter, penned by Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin, asked Google CEO Sundar Pichai if the company has limited the appearance of anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers in the search results for abortion clinics or abortion pills. (Related: Banned by Google for opposing infanticide.)
"Google should not be displaying anti-abortion fake clinics or crisis pregnancy centers in search results for users that are searching for an abortion clinic or abortion pill," wrote the two lawmakers. "If Google must continue showing these misleading search results and in Google Maps, the results should at the very least be appropriately labeled."
Several other Democrats signed the letter – including New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal and New York Rep. Carolyn Maloney.t
Valeria Rivadeniera, press secretary for Warner, clarified the content of the Virginia senator's letter.
"[The senator] believes that users who search for 'abortion services' should receive results that are relevant to their searches. Crisis pregnancy centers – which routinely misinform and mislead clients about their reproductive health – make every effort to appear in these search results in order to deceive individuals into thinking they offer a full range of reproductive health services."
She added that Warner has not yet received a response and that Google should "apply appropriate labels to all organic search and map results."
In contrast, Hill commented that the Virginia senator and his Democratic colleagues want Google to act as an arm of the government in suppressing valuable pregnancy information. The former Indiana AG added that the July 21 letter by Miyares and Cameron sought to know if Google plans to comply with the legislators' request.
"I'd want to know if the algorithms had been changed by a particular date, and if any, differences or distinctions seem to be in compliance with the request that was made. It's been suggested that some of the searches be limited – so I would want to see the searches."
Listen to Health Ranger Mike Adams below explaining why Google's censorship will lead to bloodshed and violence.
This is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.
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