Yelp, a popular online directory for businesses and consumer reviews, has had a habit of posting a note on pro-life clinics – and solely on those clinics – stating they "typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite." In addition, Yelp points out those life-affirming centers do not refer for abortions.
Andrea Trudden of Heartbeat International tells AFN that 24 state attorneys general wrote a letter to Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, complaining about the misleading information they say constitutes "a scheme to discredit [the clinics] and to discourage women and families from accessing their services."
According to Trudden, it appears Yelp got the message.
"[The AGs] called Yelp out for [its] direct targeting of pregnancy help organizations, and we saw that Yelp changed their tune," she explains. "[But] they are still labeling pregnancy help organizations [explaining] they do not refer for nor provide abortions – [a fact that] pregnancy organizations actually list on their website …."
Signatories to the letter are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
While she is grateful the letter reflects the pro-life stance of almost half of the nation's law enforcement chiefs, Trudden points out that surveys show an even higher percentage of the American public supports crisis pregnancy centers.
"A majority of Americans, more than 70%, agree that pregnancy help organizations should exist in communities to provide care for women," says the pro-life spokeswoman. "And honestly, in certain cities they agree that they should be funded because they're providing practical support and care for women at no cost."
Heartbeat International is hopeful other popular online entities like Google and Facebook will take the cue and start treating crisis pregnancy centers fairly, just by sticking to the truth.
