Florida GOP members have long criticized Big Tech companies over censorship concerns, and the recent development in tension comes amidst a national conversation regarding abortions in the country. Florida Rep. Greg Steube (R) has joined other lawmakers in directing a letter to Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, accusing the company of banning “Live Action’s pro-life ads promoting Heartbeat International’s Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) hotline.”
Steube took to social media to comment that “once again, Big Tech is censoring those who disagree with them,” adding that “Google recently made the indefensible decision to ban pro-life ads from running on their platform.”
Once again, Big Tech is censoring those who disagree with them. Google recently made the indefensible decision to ban pro-life ads from running on their platform.
I joined Republican colleagues in sending a letter to Google CEO Pichai demanding answers. pic.twitter.com/pSaP0pwiTu
— Congressman Greg Steube (@RepGregSteube) September 27, 2021
In response, Steube joined a number of other GOP lawmakers in directing the latter to “Google CEO Pichai demanding answers.”
In the letter, the lawmakers share that “Google initially approved Live Action’s APR ads and they ran for over four months, spending over $170,000 and directing thousands of people to the APR hotline.” However, Steube goes on to explain that “on September 13, Google unexpectedly shut down these ads without warning or evidence, citing ‘unreliable claims’ policy.”
Steube and the GOP lawmakers argue that the move was an attack because the decision was made based on a “one-sided pro-abortion ‘report’ provided by a left-leaning news agency.”
According to the Abortion Pill Reversal website, the pill provides an “unborn child a second chance at life.” APR argues this through the Progesterone treatment, which the lawmakers explain "is used to halt a chemical abortion, giving a mother (and her baby) who changes her mind after only taking the first abortion pill a second chance."
As a result, the lawmakers are asking for answers, warning that "Google continues to allow ads for purveyors of the deadly abortion pill mifepristone by mail, despite the fact this drug has resulted in at least 24 mothers' tragic deaths and at least 1,042 mothers being sent to the hospital."
