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 the entry into force of a law that bans the majority terminations of pregnancy in this American state, even in cases of incest or rape.
Read also Anti-abortion law in Texas: understand everything about the ongoing legal battle
The prolifewhistleblower.com site was set up by the Texas anti-abortion group Right to Life ( "
right to life
") to collect "
pipes
" or denunciations about persons and organizations that would help a woman to have an abortion (a relative, an Uber driver, a doctor ...) after 6 weeks of pregnancy.
The text provides that these plaintiffs receive at least 10,000 dollars 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
”.
Read also Biden promises to defend the right to abortion and denounces the "radical" law in Texas
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.
Abortion possible from six weeks of pregnancy
“
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 pro-abortion organizations, have also flooded the website with false tips. On social media, like TikTok and Instagram, activists are sharing their work to create bots that bombard the site in this way.
Uber and Lyft, the two American leaders in car reservations with drivers, for their part announced Friday that they would cover the legal costs of drivers, in the event of denunciation against them under the new law.
It prohibits an 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.
Read alsoCatholic but pro-abortion, can Biden receive the Eucharist?
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.