A Texas law that prohibits abortion providers from performing abortions after fetal cardiac activity is detected, which typically happens after about six weeks of pregnancy, went into effect this week after the Supreme Court chose not to intervene.
The web hosting service withdrew the site around 8 a.m. Friday, according to Texas Right to Life, the organization that launched the website. GoDaddy did not respond to requests for comment, but said in a tweet On Friday he “reported yesterday the owner of the website that he has violated the terms and conditions of GoDaddy and that they have 24 hours to move to another provider.”
“We will not be silenced,” Kimberlyn Schwartz, director of media and communications for Texas Right to Life, said in a statement sent to CNN. “If the anti-Lifers want to remove our website, we will compile it again.”
Online activists have flooded the website with fake reports organized through social media, according to reports from the New York Times and Motherboard.
The first amendment protects freedom of expression from government censorship. GoDaddy, as a private company, can choose who to develop their business with. Web hosting companies have previously blocked websites.
GoDaddy is not the only business taking action under the new legislation.
Ridehail companies Lift i Uber said Friday that they would cover the legal fees of their defendant drivers as a result of the new legislation. Citizens can sue abortion providers for alleged violations and plaintiffs will receive $ 10,000 from defendants if they are successful. The law also affects anyone who “helps or incites” abortion, which may include a driver who unknowingly drove a woman to an abortion clinic. Lyft also said it would donate $ 1 million to Planned Parenthood.
Bumble and Match dating apps said Friday they would create a relief fund for people affected by the law. Both are headquartered in Texas.
“Bumble is founded and led by women, and from day one we have championed the most vulnerable. We will continue to fight regressive laws,” Bumble said. he tweeted.
– CNN’s High Spells, Charles Riley and Jeevan Ravindran contributed to this report.