Verizon and Abortion

Looking for a reason to switch from Verizon as your cell-phone carrier? Here’s a good one:

Saying it had the right to block”controversial or unsavory”text messages, Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group, to make Verizon’s mobile network available for a text-message program.

The other leading wireless carriers have accepted the program, which allows people to sign up for text messages from Naral by sending a message to a five-digit number known as a short code.

The full story is here. Verizon is a private company apparently not covered by any particular laws on the subject, so its actions are constitutional and probably lawful. But, you can always let your wallet do the talking and switch carriers. Any carrier that thinks that the following sample message from NARAL, that people would voluntarily choose to receive, is too controversial is not worth sending your money to:

End Bush’s global gag rule against birth control for world’s poorest women! Call Congress. (202) 224-3121. Thnx! Naral Text4Choice.

– David S. Cohen