A new abortion law was passed in Texas, which stipulates that anyone who helps a woman have an abortion will be prosecuted. Ride-sharing company Lyft and Uber vowed to pay drivers’ legal fees.
The new law allows private citizens to sue any individual who “helps or abets or induces abortion” in the state. Ride-sharing drivers may face fines of more than $10,000 for driving women to abortion clinics.
In a statement on Friday, Lyft co-founders Logan Green and John Zimmer revealed that they created a driver’s legal defense fund to cover any legal costs for drivers who transport women to abortion clinics.
lift Said that the new law “does not meet people’s basic privacy rights, our community guidelines, the spirit of carpooling, and our values as a company.” Therefore, the company will take action to protect its drivers.
“Imagine that as a driver, you don’t know if it is illegal to hitchhiking. Similarly, riders never have to prove or even share where and why they are going,” the statement read.
“Imagine, as a pregnant woman, she tries to attend a healthcare appointment, but she doesn’t know if your driver will cancel your trip for fear of breaking the law. Both are totally unacceptable.”
Lyft will also Donate 1 million US dollars Family planning to ensure that “traffic will never become an obstacle to access to medical care.”
the same day,Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi revealed that the company will follow in Lyft’s footsteps and bear the driver’s legal costs.
“Just @logangreen-drivers should not be at risk for getting people to where they want to go. The @Uber team is also involved and will pay legal fees in the same way. Thank you for your push,” He tweeted.
The new law was signed by Governor Greg Abbott and went into effect on Wednesday. The bill prohibits abortion after six weeks, which is about the time at which the heartbeat of the fetus can be detected.
Photo: AFP/Robin Baker
