Attorney General Alan Wilson joins 24-state coalition urging Yelp not to discriminate against crisis pregnancy centers
February 7, 2023
Attorney General Alan Wilson today joined 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.
“Yelp should not be using its corporate power to give pregnant women misleading information about their healthcare options,” Attorney General Wilson said. “Crisis pregnancy centers should not be treated as second class citizens. Period.”
Last year, 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, 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 Wilson 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.
Attorney General Wilson joined the letter led by Kentucky Attorney General Cameron along with attorneys general from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
To read a copy of the letter, click here.
