"Verizon Blocks Messages of Abortion Rights Group"
New York Times
September 27, 2007
by Adam Liptak
Verizon Wireless has rejected a request from Naral Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights group, to make Verizon's network available for a text messaging program. The program is intended to be used to reach supporters of the organization through text messaging. Verizon backs up their decision saying that they don't want to accept these programs that promote issues that may be controversial in issue.
When I first saw the headline for this article the first thing that came to my mind was the First Amendment. I soon came to realize that this was not really a legal issue for this problem at all. Verizon Wireless is a private company and they have the right to reject people from using their services. In a sense then, Verizon is not suppressing the organization's voice.
The real issue though is if it is ethically right to reject the organization from the use of their services. I believe that this is more of a public policy issue than a legal issue.
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