GoDaddy Terminates Hosting of Texas Anti-Abortion Tip Website

Website hosting service GoDaddy on Friday terminated services for the owner of an anti-abortion website that allows people to report suspected abortions in Texas.

"Last night we informed prolifewhistleblower.com they have violated GoDaddy's terms of service and have 24 hours to move to a different provider," the company said in a statement.

Texas has imposed a near-total ban on abortions, which took effect early on Wednesday and leaves enforcement up to individual citizens, enabling them to sue anyone who provides or "aids or abets" an abortion after six weeks. Citizens who win such lawsuits would be entitled to at least $10,000.

Portions of the website which allow people to submit anonymous tips on suspected abortions on Friday showed a GoDaddy notification saying the site had been locked down.

Texas Right to Life, the anti-abortion group owning the website, in a statement said it will not be silenced, adding that it would put its website back up.

"Our IT team is already in process of transferring our assets to another provider and we'll have the site restored within 24-48 hours," a spokeswoman for the group said.

© Thomson Reuters 2021