Current:Home > NewsYelp sues Texas to keep crisis pregnancy center description labels-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Yelp sues Texas to keep crisis pregnancy center description labels
View Date:2024-12-23 23:54:13
Online business review site Yelp is suing Texas to defend its descriptions of crisis pregnancy centers which make clear to readers that the centers do not provide abortions or abortion referrals.
Currently, Yelp applies an alert it calls a "Consumer Notice" to crisis pregnancy center listings reading, "This is a Crisis Pregnancy Center. Crisis Pregnancy Centers do not offer abortions or referrals to abortion providers."
Yelp is suing Texas to prevent Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from punishing the company "for publishing truthful information about businesses that offer pregnancy-related counseling to the public," the company said in a complaint filed Wednesday in San Francisco federal court.
Paxton sued Yelp Thursday, claiming it violated Texas' Deceptive Trade Practices Act "by appending inaccurate and misleading language to listings on pregnancy resource centers appearing in the search results on Yelp's app and website."
"Yelp cannot mislead and deceive the public simply because the company disagrees with our state's abortion laws," Attorney General Paxton said in a statement. "Major companies cannot abuse their platforms and influence to control consumers' behavior, especially on sensitive health issues like pregnancy and abortion."
The suit comes after Paxton told Yelp he planned to sue the company for stating that crisis pregnancy centers "typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite," Yelp told CBS MoneyWatch.
Yelp alleges such action violates the First Amendment. The company has also since changed its language to make clear the centers do not provide abortions, a statement Paxton has called "accurate."
Trustworthy information
Yelp explains it first started adding the notices to listings for crisis pregnancy centers in August 2022 when it found they were leading consumers seeking abortion care to anti-abortion counseling services.
Initially, the notices informed users that such centers "typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite," a statement Yelp alleges is truthful and accurate and was "intended to enable Yelp users to make informed choices."
In February 2023 Paxton demanded that Yelp remove the notice, calling it misleading.
Yelp updated the notice to indicate that such centers don't provide abortions. Paxton conceded that the current crisis pregnancy center labelling language is "accurate." Still, Yelp expects Paxton to file suit as early as Friday.
- Illinois governor signs bill outlawing deception by "crisis pregnancy centers"
"The trust and safety of our users is a top priority for Yelp, which is why we take extensive measures to provide consumers with relevant and reliable information when they search for local businesses on our platform," Yelp said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. "This is especially critical when people are searching for health care services on Yelp, including reproductive care."
Attorney General Paxton's office did not immediately reply to CBS MoneyWatch's request for comment.
Yelp has also taken action to protect its own employees in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The company pays for workers who live in states where their rights are limited to travel to get an abortion, Yelp Chief Diversity Officer Miriam Warren told CBS News.
"We recognize that in order to give our employees equal access to the health care they may need, we need a travel benefit to allow them to travel if necessary," she said.
veryGood! (383)
Related
- Why the US celebrates Veterans Day and how the holiday has changed over time
- Archaeologists find mastodon skull in Iowa, search for evidence it interacted with humans
- Dolphins’ Tagovailoa says McDaniel built him up after Flores tore him down as young NFL quarterback
- MLB power rankings: World Series repeat gets impossible for Texas Rangers
- Stop smartphone distractions by creating a focus mode: Video tutorial
- Paul Mescal Seemingly Confirms Romance With Gracie Abrams During London Outings
- Pregnant Brittany Mahomes Shares Adorable Glimpse at Bedtime Routine With Patrick and Their Kids
- Settlement reached in D'Vontaye Mitchell's death; workers headed for trial
- Wendi McLendon-Covey talks NBC sitcom 'St. Denis Medical' and hospital humor
- PHOTO COLLECTION: DNC Protests
Ranking
- Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert Details “Full Circle” Reunion With Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried
- Alabama says law cannot block people with certain felony convictions from voting in 2024 election
- How To Decorate Your Dorm Room for Under $200
- Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn, Mindy Kaling to host Democratic National Convention
- Mike Tyson is expected to honor late daughter during Jake Paul fight. Here's how.
- Woman missing for 4 days on spiritual hiking trip found alive in Colorado
- The Daily Money: Real estate rules are changing. What does it mean for buyers, sellers?
- US settles with billionaire Carl Icahn for using company to secure personal loans worth billions
Recommendation
-
As US Catholic bishops meet, Trump looms over their work on abortion and immigration
-
Harvey Weinstein will not return to California until New York retrial is complete, DA says
-
Sicily Yacht Survivor Details End of the World Experience While Saving Her Baby Girl in Freak Storm
-
ABC News names longtime producer Karamehmedovic as network news division chief
-
'Gladiator 2' review: Yes, we are entertained again by outrageous sequel
-
DeSantis-backed school board candidates face off in Florida
-
Ernesto strengthens to Category 1 hurricane; storm's swells lead to 3 deaths: Updates
-
Old Navy Under $20 Finds – $13 Leggings, $13 Bodysuits, $5 Sweaters & More Unbelievable Deals