These companies are pushing back against the Texas abortion law
By Matt McFarland, CNN Business
GoDaddy took down a website that allowed people to post tips about possible Texas abortions, in the latest example of businesses pushing back against the state’s new law.
A Texas law that bans abortion providers from carrying out terminations after fetal cardiac activity is detected, which is typically about six weeks into a pregnancy, went into effect this week after the Supreme Court opted not to intervene.
The web hosting service took down the site at about 8 pm Friday, according to Texas Right to Life, the organization that launched the website. GoDaddy did not respond to requests for comment, but said in a tweet Friday that it “informed the website owner yesterday that they have violated GoDaddy’s terms of service and have 24 hours to move to a different provider.”
“We will not be silenced,” Kimberlyn Schwartz, the director of media and communication for Texas Right to Life said in a statement sent to CNN. “If anti-Lifers want to take our website down, we’ll put it back up.”
Online activists have flooded the website with fake reports organized through social media, according to reports in the New York Times and Motherboard.
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech from government censorship. GoDaddy, as a private company, can choose who it conducts business with. Web-hosting companies have previously blocked websites.
GoDaddy isn’t the only business to take action in the wake of the new legislation.
Ridehail companies Lyft and Uber said Friday they would cover legal fees for their drivers who are sued as a result of the new legislation. Citizens can sue abortion providers for alleged violations, and plaintiffs will receive $10,000 from the accused if successful. The law also impacts anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion, which could potentially include a driver who unknowingly drove a woman to an abortion clinic. Lyft also said it would donate $1 million to Planned Parenthood.
Dating apps Bumble and Match said Friday they would create a relief fund for people affected by the law. Both are based in Texas.
“Bumble is women-founded and women-led, and from day one we’ve stood up for the most vulnerable. We’ll keep fighting against regressive laws,” Bumble tweeted.
— CNN’s Alta Spells, Charles Riley and Jeevan Ravindran contributed to this report.
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