FRANKFORT, Ky. (February 7, 2023) – Attorney General Daniel Cameron today led a 24-state coalition of attorneys general in sending a letter to Yelp opposing the company’s practice of discriminating against crisis pregnancy centers in online consumer notices.
“Discriminating against the services of crisis pregnancy centers hinders women and families from accessing the life-affirming care and support that they need,” said Attorney General Cameron. “Yelp’s decision to issue warnings on the profiles of crisis pregnancy centers but not on Planned Parenthood facility profiles places politics above the health and wellness of women and children, and we will do everything in our power to stop this discrimination.”
Last year, following pressure by Democrats for Alphabet to discriminate against pro-life crisis pregnancy centers in Google Search results, Yelp announced that the company would begin issuing consumer notices to the Yelp profiles of crisis pregnancy centers. The notices claim to inform consumers that crisis pregnancy centers “typically provide limited medical services and may not have licensed medical professionals onsite.”
In their letter, General Cameron and the attorneys general argue that applying these notices to all crisis pregnancy centers but not to Planned Parenthood and related facilities is discriminatory. The attorneys general write, “The fact that Yelp has apparently applied the Consumer Notice only to crisis pregnancy centers means that Yelp has singled out crisis pregnancy centers for disparate treatment. This sort of discrimination is unacceptable.”
The coalition also contends that recategorizing the services of crisis pregnancy centers is misguided because these services are in high demand. The attorneys general have called on Yelp to stop misrepresenting the services of these crisis pregnancy centers.
In 2019, crisis pregnancy centers provided ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, STD testing, parenting and prenatal education classes, recovery counseling, and other services valued at over $266 million to nearly two million Americans.
Last July, Attorney General Cameron sent a letter to Google urging the company not to censor crisis pregnancy centers from search results, online advertising, and other products like Google Maps. Today’s letter to Yelp is a continuation of his fight to protect pregnant mothers and their children.
Attorney General Cameron was joined by attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming in sending the letter.
To read a copy of the letter, click here.