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A group of Republican state attorneys general has vowed to take action against Google if it follows through with congressional Democrats' demands to censor search results by preventing women from finding pro-life pregnancy centers when searching for abortion.
Much is at stake in this matter on many levels.
If Google censors the pro-life pregnancy centers, as Democrats are, in writing, demanding they do, it will facilitate the mass murder of thousands of unborn babies who may have been allowed to live.
Be informed, not misled.
The deadly, evil pressure from the Left.
Democratic lawmakers are seeking to “limit the appearance of anti-abortion fake clinics” in Google Ads and on Google Maps. They claim that pro-life pregnancy centers are “fake clinics that traffic in misinformation and don’t provide comprehensive health services. These Democrats also argue that pro-life pregnancy clinics are "dangerous to women’s health" and their appearance in "search results undermines the integrity of Google’s search results."
So if Google doesn't deem pro-life pregnancy centers as "fake clinics" and censor them online, the Democrats will "take action" against Google.
The June 17 letter from congressional Democrats to the CEO of Google Sundar Pichai, crafted by Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and 18 other lawmakers, cited concerns about the possible overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide as the justification for their push for the censorship of Google search results to exclude “anti-abortion fake clinics.” The Supreme Court ultimately overturned Roe in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision a week later.
With the evil behemoth Planned Parenthood's shadow cast across America, why would the Left be so obsessed with pro-life pregnancy centers?
It could be because they have some sense that they're on the wrong side of the moral equation---they are stranding against God Himself and against His 6th Commandment: "Thou shalt not murder."
Blinded by their rebellion, the Left only measures moral issues by political outcomes.
And they may have seen what pro-life pregnancy centers are actually doing on behalf of women and the sanctity of life.
A moral response.
The Christian Post said this:
Virginia’s Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares and Kentucky’s Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron, along with 15 other state attorneys general, wrote a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai Thursday. They warned that the company could be investigated if it caved to demands by Democratic members of Congress to “take action” by preventing pro-life pregnancy centers from appearing in search results for queries about abortion clinics and abortion pills.
Democratic lawmakers are seeking to “limit the appearance of anti-abortion fake clinics” in Google Ads and on Google Maps. They claim that pro-life pregnancy centers are “fake clinics that traffic in misinformation and don’t provide comprehensive health services. These Democrats also argue that pro-life pregnancy clinics are "dangerous to women’s health" and their appearance in search results "undermines the integrity of Google’s search results."
“Complying with these demands would constitute a grave assault on the principle of free speech,” the attorneys general wrote. “‘Unbiased access to information,’ while no longer a component of Google’s corporate creed, is still what Americans expect from your company. ‘[S]tudies have found web users are more likely to find and trust news through search than social media sites.’”
The attorneys general insisted that “at least some Google users who search for information about abortion also expect to find information about alternatives to abortion, as evidenced by the fact that your search algorithm—free of the manipulation that left-wing politicians are demanding—consistently produces such results.” They further asserted that “suppressing pro-life and pro-mother voices at the urging of government officials would violate the most fundamental tenet of the American marketplace of ideas.”
The attorney's general also noted that a study by the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute found the pro-life pregnancy centers "served over 1.8 million clients in 2019, that provided services valued at $266 million at little or no cost to the patients."
Some of those services include "free ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, parenting and prenatal education classes, post-abortive care and recovery counseling, and free or reduced-cost diapers, baby clothes, car seats, and strollers.
And I might add, from my personal contacts with a number of the centers over the years, unlike Planned Parenthood, the leaders do not get 6-figure-plus annual salaries.
Another truth the Left can't handle is that "these pregnancy centers serve women, no matter who they are or what they believe." And the Republican attorneys general made that abundantly clear in their letter because they are faith-based.
The Attorneys General's letter noted that "Even Planned Parenthood has acknowledged that the centers are faith-based organizations that oppose abortion and have religious missions," including to "express the love of Jesus Christ."
And they noted that should they cave to the demands of some of the vocal left-wing politicians to manipulate Google's search results and other services against these organizations will likely be labeled as religious discrimination, with substantial consequences following.
The A/G's letter also included this very direct message to Google: "Please respond to this letter within fourteen days with answers to the following questions:
"Has Google taken, or will Google take, any steps to treat crisis pregnancy centers any differently with regard to Google search results, Google Ads, Google Maps, or any other Google service than they were treated before the leak of the draft of the United States Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization? If so, what steps have you taken, or will you take?"
Trump weighs in on freedom of speech and censorship.
Donald Trump weighed in on the growing censorship crisis in America while speaking at Turning Point USA Student Action Summit on Saturday in Tampa, Florida.
He called on Congress to investigate the “anti-American” practice of censorship rampant across America’s corporations and big tech platforms.
He said the next critical fight we need is for your energy to be put behind the battle to restore free speech in America. There is no such thing as a democracy that does not have free speech. We don’t have free speech anymore. We have canceled culture, we have fake news media that reports certain news incorrectly.
He also said "that if censorship continues to grow across the country, America will turn into 'Venezuela on steroids'.”
“If debate can be silenced if dissent can be suppressed. If conservative ideas can be systematically shut down, then very simply, we do not have a free country anymore. That’s what happened with communism and various countries. That’s what happened with Venezuela," Trump told the college-age conservative, mostly Christian leaders.
Trump added that “the next congress and the next president have a civic duty to be ruthless in going after this new censorship regime.”
“We have to because if we do not destroy censorship, censorship will destroy America. Our country will rot from the corruption confusion,” he urged.
Google's destiny.
I think many, not all, but many conservative Republican leaders are ready to trigger a real and effective response to the corruption of the Left, including censorship of free speech.
Google has two options---reset its game plan and protect the freedom of the marketplace of ideas, or not.
If "not," I believe there is going to be an avalanche of consequences from the elected officials of normal hard-working Americans whose fuse is growing shorter by the day.
Virginia's Attorney General Jason Miyares, one of the authors of the letter to Google, said this in a statement:
“Google has two options — protect the freedom of the marketplace of ideas or face legal consequences. American consumers expect diversity of opinion and thought. The idea that elected officials are both advocating for the removal of private charities and encouraging Google to outwardly discriminate against crisis pregnancy centers and silence voices different than their own is appalling.”
Indeed.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Bold. Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful.