Apple's Latest iPhone Has No Problem Pointing Users to Viagra, But Comes Up Blank on Birth Control, Abortion
This year’s latest iPhone features Siri — which Apple bills as “the intelligent personal assistant that helps you get things done just by asking.” Siri can help you secure movie tickets, plan your schedule, and order Chinese food, but when it comes to reproductive health care and services, Siri is clueless.
According to numerous news sources, when asked to find an abortion clinic Siri either draws a blank, or worse refers women to pregnancy crisis centers. As we’ve blogged about in the past, pregnancy crisis centers, which often bill themselves as resources for abortion care, do not provide or refer for abortion and are notorious for providing false and misleading information about abortion. Further, if you’d like to avoid getting pregnant, Siri isn’t much use either. When asked where one can find birth control, apparently Siri comes up blank.
The ACLU put Siri to the test in our Washington D.C. office. When a staffer told Siri she needed an abortion, the iPhone assistant referred her to First Choice Women’s Abortion Info and Pregnancy Center and Human Life Pregnancy-Abortion Information Center. Both are pregnancy crisis centers that do not provide abortion services, and the second center is located miles and miles away in Pennsylvania.
It’s not just that Siri is squeamish about sex. The National Post reports that if you ask Siri where you can have sex, or where to get a blow job, “she” can refer you to a local escort service.
Although it isn’t clear that Apple is intentionally trying to promote an anti-choice agenda, it is distressing that Siri can point you to Viagra, but not the Pill, or help you find an escort, but not an abortion clinic.
We’re confident that the developers at Apple want to provide iPhone users with accurate information. Stand with us and ask Apple to set Siri straight and fix this problem.
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Nov 30th, 2011 at 7:40pm
Or you can ask Siri's provider Yelp why they're censoring this and thus crippling Siri downstream....
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:30am
The problem isnt the phone it is the ACLU. Please pull your lips over your head and swallow!!!
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:32am
Wow, the ACLU is more of an attention whore than even PETA. Go play with a drum circle you small minded morons.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:34am
Or you can ask why the ACLU is censoring the comments to this pathetic blog.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:37am
Try asking "how do I murder an unborn child"
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:39am
Or, since Apple is a private company, we can leave it alone and allow it to display the information that it wants. How about that?
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:45am
My God, how can people in the ACLU live with themselves? They have no moral compass whatsoever.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:46am
you people are now jumping the shark.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:54am
Believe it or not, abortion clinics don't advertise themselves as "abortion clinics."
Dec 1st, 2011 at 11:58am
I just asked Siri and she found me one 11 miles away...
Dec 1st, 2011 at 12:03pm
Do I have the liberty to kill people?
Dec 1st, 2011 at 12:27pm
Please.
Debunked: Ridiculous claims of 'pro-life' bias in Siri (Update: Apple responds)
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/11/30/debunked-ridiculous-claims-of-pro-li fe-bias-in-siri/
Dec 1st, 2011 at 12:30pm
Please.
Debunked: Ridiculous claims of 'pro-life' bias in Siri (Update: Apple responds)
Dec 1st, 2011 at 12:46pm
ACLU discriminates. It only protects the lives of those who have been born. It doe not protect the lives of the unborn. Sad, very sad.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 1:35pm
Math discrimination on this blog. Someone without basic math skills should still be able to post.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 1:40pm
This is such a colossal waste of time. Please.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 2:07pm
Get a life ACLU. And Merry Christmas.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 2:10pm
you need to stop infringing on Apple's right to do whatever it wants. who are you to decide?
stop wasting time and resources.
Dec 1st, 2011 at 2:42pm
Siri, how do I dismantle the ACLU to protect common sense in America?
Dec 1st, 2011 at 3:43pm
Jesus, how lazy to you have to be to need a voice activated digital assistant to find you an abortion?
Dec 1st, 2011 at 4:23pm
Is the sole purpose of the ACLU to create conflict? I consider myself to be very liberal and I cannot stand this despicable organization.
Dec 2nd, 2011 at 12:37am
This pitiful attempt at a blog has absolutely nothing to do with the constitution, and everything to do with the ACLU losing everything it has worked for.
Dec 2nd, 2011 at 12:42am
Asked Siri where I can find the winning lotterly numbers. It pointed me to here. What a load of crock.
Dec 4th, 2011 at 12:12am
ACLU supports murder. . .
Dec 4th, 2011 at 12:17am
Apparently the ACLU supports murder. . and will probably censor this comment and infringe upon my freedom of speech as well.
Dec 5th, 2011 at 12:15pm
These comments remind me that I need to send my check to the ACLU. Thanks.
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