Google to be Sued for Refusing Pro-Life Ad

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covenantnews.com/newswire/archives/040765.html
April 09, 2008
Google to Be Sued for Refusing Pro-Life Ad
Press Release / Wire Service
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The Christian Institute, an anti-abortion Christian lobbying and education charity, is suing Google for refusing to allow its ads about abortion that include religious content. The Internet giant refused the charity’s request to pay for an AdWords site-targeted ad because it contained “inappropriate content”. The Christian Institute said that Google explained in its refusal email that it had a policy that did not permit the advertisement of websites containing “abortion and religion-related content”.
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Google seems to be in the wrong. Why should pro-abortion sites be allowed to advertise, but anti-abortion sites turned down, especially when the ad is so innocuous?
But the company turned down the non-denominational Christian charity that wanted to pay Google so that whenever the word “abortion” was typed in, its link would appear on the right hand side of the screen.
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The link would have read: “UK abortion law news and views on abortion from the Christian Institute.”
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Google said it had a policy of declining sites which mixed abortion with religious views.
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It does, however, accept ads for abortion clinics, secular pro-abortion sites and secularist sites which attack religion.
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Entering the word “abortion” into the search area immediately brings the user to adverts for Marie Stopes abortion clinics.
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news.com.au/story/0,23599,23517828-2,00.html
 
householder said:
Google seems to be in the wrong. Why should pro-abortion sites be allowed to advertise, but anti-abortion sites turned down, especially when the ad is so innocuous?

news.com.au/story/0,23599,23517828-2,00.html
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Google is in the wrong. What’s needed is legislative control over media content. Simply allowing the media to say whatever it wants and remain silent on other issues is one of the prime factors involved in this nation’s steady cultural decline. The judge who hears this case ought to be put on notice: justice that comports with the will of Christ would see Google stripped of its search engine or any other holdings that they may use to corrupt the minds of today’s populace.
 
It is an interesting case, but I don’t know that I support the plaintiffs. While it is obvious that Google is being hypocritical, I think they should have the right as a private company to accept or refuse ads.

I am not familiar with the “Equality Act 2006.” Is that a UK law?
 
Benedictus said:
Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I can’t imagine how that could possibly go wrong.
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😉

For those who are all for the forcing of Google to take a pro-life ad, how are you going to feel when a Catholic-owned website is required by the government to take an atheist, pro-choice ad, in the interest of fairness?
 
Other_Eric said:
Google is in the wrong. What’s needed is legislative control over media content. Simply allowing the media to say whatever it wants and remain silent on other issues is one of the prime factors involved in this nation’s steady cultural decline. The judge who hears this case ought to be put on notice: justice that comports with the will of Christ would see Google stripped of its search engine or any other holdings that they may use to corrupt the minds of today’s populace.
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Legislative control over media content? That might work well in China, but not in democracies.
 
I can’t agree with Google on this one, but I can’t imagine that this will stand up in court.

Google is its own company. Free speech does not apply there. They can accept or deny whatever ads they want. While we may not agree with their decision, we can’t get them in legal trouble over it. It’s their site, their search engine, their ad system, their rules. They could make a rule stating that all ads had to be anti-Catholic, and the best we could do is not use anything Google-related. As long as it’s not illegal, they can do whatever they want.
 
Other_Eric said:
Google is in the wrong. What’s needed is legislative control over media content. Simply allowing the media to say whatever it wants and remain silent on other issues is one of the prime factors involved in this nation’s steady cultural decline. The judge who hears this case ought to be put on notice: justice that comports with the will of Christ would see Google stripped of its search engine or any other holdings that they may use to corrupt the minds of today’s populace.
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Google may be wrong, but we certainly do NOT need legislative control over media! We are not a communist country (yet)! This is called free speech and free enterprise. Google is a private company that can establish its own policy for what it will accept for ads.

I hardly consider Google “media”. I do not look at the ads and couldn’t even tell you who advertises there. I do like their search engine, though, and use it almost daily. I don’t go to google for news.
 
rlg94086 said:
For those who are all for the forcing of Google to take a pro-life ad, how are you going to feel when a Catholic-owned website is required by the government to take an atheist, pro-choice ad, in the interest of fairness?
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I am not in favor of forcing Google, but do believe that they should volunarily change their policy. Unless, of course, they want to identify themselves as having an agenda such as with a Catholic website.
 
I am not in favor of forcing Google to have prolife ads either. They are a private company. People don’t like boycotts but I would much rather people just use Yahoo then sue over this issue. If Christians stop buying stock in Google or using their site, the company will pay attention. After all Google is primarily a business that wants to make a profit.

No need to sue, just get the information out to other Christians about Google’s hypocrisy.🙂

I am going to do my own small part and take Googleads off my site.
 
householder said:
I am not in favor of forcing Google, but do believe that they should volunarily change their policy. Unless, of course, they want to identify themselves as having an agenda such as with a Catholic website.
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I agree that they should voluntarily change their policy. However, I don’t see the need for them to “identify themselves as having an agenda.” That’s why I carefully worded my last post as “Catholic-owned” website, as opposed to a Catholic website. The difference? A Catholic may own a website providing a service completely unrelated to our faith (e.g. a weather site). That owner should have the choice to deny an ad to a pro-choice advertiser.

Now, as a large, global business, Google has to weigh their company’s apparent hypocrisy over how they abide by their own policies versus their bottomline. Their decisions could effect their business by alienating people of faith. However, that is their decision…not the government’s decision.
 
LRThunder said:
Legislative control over media content? That might work well in China, but not in democracies.
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Catholic90 said:
Google may be wrong, but we certainly do NOT need legislative control over media! We are not a communist country (yet)! This is called free speech and free enterprise. Google is a private company that can establish its own policy for what it will accept for ads.

I hardly consider Google “media”. I do not look at the ads and couldn’t even tell you who advertises there. I do like their search engine, though, and use it almost daily. I don’t go to google for news.
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We must not confuse our authentic freedoms with license. Free speech ought not include the right to spread disinformation either explicitly or through omission. When private individuals or companies do not possess the good sense to uphold this principle by selling advertisement space to a pro-life group, it’s time for the government to step in.
 
Check out the difference between the results when you search “abortion” on US Google and UK Google.

Here, the 2nd link listed is pro-life. In the UK I don’t see any at all. Of course, we have more abortions over here, so I don’t know how that balances.
 
rlg94086 said:
😉

For those who are all for the forcing of Google to take a pro-life ad, how are you going to feel when a Catholic-owned website is required by the government to take an atheist, pro-choice ad, in the interest of fairness?
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Yea but that’s different, Google isn’t a religious website, and hence should be in the public domain so to speak in offering services without bias.

Catholicism by definition already has fixed ideals in religious matters, google doesn’t
 
Other_Eric said:
We must not confuse our authentic freedoms with license. Free speech ought not include the right to spread disinformation either explicitly or through omission. When private individuals or companies do not possess the good sense to uphold this principle by selling advertisement space to a pro-life group, it’s time for the government to step in.
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Ever heard of the phrase, “What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander?”

What’s to stop other groups from doing the same regarding websites that refuse to run ads supporting their positions?
 
Harmony1988 said:
Yea but that’s different, Google isn’t a religious website, and hence should be in the public domain so to speak in offering services without bias.

Catholicism by definition already has fixed ideals in religious matters, google doesn’t
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No, it is exactly the same. A “Catholic-owned website” is not necessarily a religious website. It could be a site telling everyone what the current weather is that is owned and operated by a Catholic. Should that Catholic be forced to run pro-choice ads?

Google is not a person, but it is a business run by people. Those people have a right to run whatever ads (within legal bounds) that they want to, according to their religious or non-religious convictions.
 
Let’s just note that Google favors pro-abortion ads, and judge their advertisers accordingly.

A compass that always points south is just as useful as one that always points north. 😃
 
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