GOP Attorneys General Warn Google Not to Discriminate Against Crisis Pregnancy Centers During Searches

More than a dozen Republican attorneys general have warned Google not to limit crisis pregnancy centers (CPC) during search results, because it could lead to legal action.

Republican Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, along with 15 other state attorneys general, wrote a letter to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company on Thursday. 

"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 lawmakers stated.

We co-led a coalition of states in a letter this week to Google. The letter expresses concerns about recent political pressure encouraging Google to discriminate against crisis pregnancy centers in search results.

Learn more: https://t.co/NtUNBR2x2E pic.twitter.com/4cSVe9SMZT

— Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) July 22, 2022

The move comes a month after a group of pro-abortion politicians urged Google to eliminate access to pro-life centers during searches on Google Maps.

The senators sent a letter to Pichai on June 17, claiming that 37 percent of Google Maps results, and 11 percent of Google search results for "abortion clinic near me" and "abortion pill" were for pro-life women's clinics in "trigger law" states.

In the letter, CPCs are referred to as "anti-abortion fake clinics."

Then, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) submitted a letter to Google on June 28, criticizing the company for allowing abortion inquiries to include results with CPCs.

"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.'"

They further explained the actions that would be taken against Google if it adheres to the Democrats' "inappropriate demand."

"Our offices will (1) conduct thorough investigations to determine whether this suppression violates the antitrust laws of the United States and our States; (2) investigate whether Google's conduct amounts to an unlawful act of religious discrimination under state law; and (3) consider whether additional legislation—such as nondiscrimination rules under common carriage statutes—is necessary to protect consumers and markets," the attorneys general noted.

"We trust that you will treat this letter with the seriousness these issues require, and hope you will decide that Google's search results must not be subject to left-wing political pressure, which would actively harm women seeking essential assistance," the letter reads. "If you do not, we must avail ourselves of all lawful and appropriate means of protecting the rights of our constituents, of upholding viewpoint diversity, free expression, and the freedom of religion for all Americans, and of making sure that our markets are free in fact, not merely in theory." 

The attorneys general mentioned a recent survey that explains the vital role that CPCs have in the life of expectant families.

Services cited in the letter 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."

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