Tech world defends abortion rights in Texas
The new Texas law prohibits abortion as soon as the embryo’s heartbeat is detected, which is about six weeks pregnant.
According to Texas law, it is not up to the authorities to enforce the measure, but to citizens, encouraged to file a civil complaint. (Illustrative image)
AFP
A website that encourages the public to speak out against illegal abortions in Texas has been notified of its eviction by its web host, one of the measures taken by tech companies after a law came into force that prohibits the majority of terminations of pregnancy in this US state, even in cases of incest or rape.
The site prolifewhistleblower.com was set up by the Texan anti-abortion group Right to Life to collect “tips” or denunciations about people and organizations helping a woman to have an abortion (a relative, an Uber driver, a doctor …) after 6 weeks of pregnancy.
Since Wednesday, a law provides that these plaintiffs receive at least 10,000 dollars (9,100 francs) of “compensation” in the event of conviction, a “bonus for denouncing”, according to its detractors. But on Friday, a click of the website’s “pipes” button took the user to a page titled “Access Denied – GoDaddy’s Firewall.”
The site flooded with false pipes
The online service provider GoDaddy informed the site on Thursday that it was breaking its rules and that it had “24 hours to change host”, according to a spokesperson. GoDaddy’s policies state that users cannot collect information from people without their consent.
“We will not be silenced,” reacted Kimberlyn Schwartz, communications director of Right to Life, requested by AFP. “No one can stop us from saving lives. We are not afraid. We will not back down. Our team of technicians has already started the transfer to another department and the site will be operational again within 24-48 hours, ”she said.
Internet users, encouraged by human rights organizations, have also flooded the website with false tips. On social media, like TikTok and Instagram, activists are sharing their efforts to create bots that bombard the site in this way.
“As a woman in Texas”
Uber and Lyft, the two American leaders in chauffeur-driven car reservations, for their part announced on Friday that they would cover drivers’ legal costs if they are denounced under the new law. Bumble and Match group (Tinder, OkCupid…), headquartered in Texas, will create support funds. The online dating app Bumble wants to “support the rights of women and people who want abortions in Texas,” the company, founded and run by women, tweeted on Wednesday.
“Our society does not usually take political sides, unless it concerns our business. But in this case, I, personally, as a woman in Texas, could not remain silent, ”wrote Shar Dubey, the boss of Match, in an internal memo relayed on Twitter.
“Everyone must see the danger posed by a law as punitive and unjust as this one, which does not even make an exception for victims of rape or incest. I would hate for our state to take such a step backwards in women’s rights, ”she added.
“Almost anti-American”
The law that came into force Wednesday prohibits abortion as soon as the embryo’s heartbeat is detected, around six weeks pregnant, when most women do not know they are pregnant. Only the medical emergency justifies an exception.
So far, similar texts from other US states have been struck down in court, but this time the Federal Supreme Court has refused to block the law. According to Texas law, it is not up to the authorities to enforce the measure, but to citizens, encouraged to file a civil complaint.
“The most pernicious thing (…) is that it creates a kind of self-proclaimed vigilante system, with people who collect rewards,” US President Joe Biden lamented to the White House press on Friday. “It sounds ridiculous, almost anti-American,” he continued.
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