- Hosting website GoDaddy has stopped hosting a website that collects anonymous reports for people who violated Texas’ new abortion law
- According to the law, anyone living in Texas can sue an abortion provider or anyone suspected of “helping” an abortion, and if they win a civil case, they will receive a $10,000 reward.
- According to GoDaddy’s terms, users are not allowed to collect information about people without their consent.
A webpage seeking public tips to enforce Texas’ strict new abortion restrictions has been told to look for a new company to host its website or go offline.
GoDaddy said in a statement on Friday that it had notified prolifewhistleblower.com on Thursday that it violated the US web hosting company’s terms of service and must be transferred to another provider.
The prolifewhistleblower.com website was set up by the anti-abortion organization Texas Right to Life to collect anonymous tips in accordance with the law and prohibit the termination of pregnancy after six weeks of pregnancy—before many women know they are pregnant.
According to the law, anyone living in Texas can sue an abortion provider or anyone suspected of “helping” an abortion, and if they win a civil case, they will receive a $10,000 reward.
There were calls on social media to flood the site with false tips, and by late Friday, attempts to access the tips section of the site were blocked, and a message was displayed stating that access was denied by the GoDaddy firewall.
Kimberlin Schwartz, head of communications for the right to life in Texas, told AFP that the site is being transferred to a new service provider and is expected to resume operations within 48 hours.
“We will not be silent,” Schwartz said.
“We are not afraid of thugs. We will not back down.”
According to GoDaddy’s terms, users are not allowed to collect information about people without their consent.
The website provides a link to the report “Anyone…helps or abets abortion after a heartbeat”, referring to the law prohibiting abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected.
“Report any individual or entity that helps or abets (or intends to help or abet) illegal abortions in Texas,” it added.
The U.S. Supreme Court officially refused to block the law on Wednesday, which is the biggest blow to abortion rights in the United States in 50 years.
The Texas Life Rights Organization called this a blow to the “unfair ruling in Roe v. Wade”, a landmark case of the Supreme Court in 1973 that legally stipulated women’s right to abortion.
Roe v. Wade guarantees the right to abortion in the United States, as long as the fetus cannot survive outside the womb, usually until the 22nd to 24th week of pregnancy.
President Joe Biden on Friday called the Texas measure a “volunteer” justice, and stated that there may be existing legal avenues to “restrict the independent actions of individuals in enforcing…state laws”, but there is no Detailed description.
Ride-hailing services Lyft and Uber warned on Friday about the possible impact of the law on their drivers. Lyft said in a blog post that it “threats to punish drivers because they send people where they need to go.”
Lyft announced the establishment of a driver’s legal defense fund to pay 100% of legal fees for drivers prosecuting ride-hailing services on the platform under the new law.
“This law does not comply with people’s basic privacy rights, our community guidelines, the spirit of carpooling, and our values as a company,” Lyft said in a blog post.
“Imagine you are a pregnant woman trying to make an appointment for medical care, but you don’t know if your driver will cancel you out of fear of breaking the law.”
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi praised Lyft’s move and said it prompted Uber to similarly bear any driver legal costs related to the new law.
Khosrowshahi replied to Lyft CEO Logan Green on Twitter: “Drivers should not be at risk by letting people go where they want to go.”
“The Uber team has also joined and will pay the legal fees in the same way. Thank you for your promotion.”
Lyft also stated that it is donating $1 million to Planned Parenthood for medical transportation needs.
Earlier this week, the company behind the Bumble dating app stated on Twitter that it had set up a relief fund for women seeking abortions in Texas.
The head of Match Group in Texas, which owns Tinder and other dating apps, told employees that she is setting up a fund to help employees or their families deal with the costs of seeking medical care outside the state for legal reasons.
“I am shocked that I am now living in a state where female reproductive laws are more backward than most countries in the world,” Match CEO Saldubi said in a letter shared to employees on Twitter.
