Ridesharing app companies Lyft and Uber have proclaimed that they will cover any legal fees that one of their contractors may incur if sued under the recent Texas abortion law.
Earlier this week, Texas began enacting a ban on abortions earlier than six weeks and allowing citizens or third parties to file civil lawsuits against an assortment of parties who may have played a part in helping a woman get an abortion. The law has come under criticism for allowing civilians to enforce the laws in question rather than actual law enforcement. One party that has been noted would be Uber and Lyft. Drivers who help transport individuals to an abortion site could be targeted by civil lawsuits for their role.
Lyft CEO Logan Green announced that Lyft had created a fund to cover and potential legal fees that drivers may face while being sued under the law. "We want to be clear: Drivers are never responsible for monitoring where their riders go or why. Imagine being a driver and not knowing if you are breaking the law by giving someone a ride," Green wrote in his statement. "Similarly, riders never have to justify, or even share, where they are going and why. Imagine being a pregnant woman trying to get to a healthcare appointment and not knowing if your driver will cancel on you for fear of breaking a law."
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi affirmed similar values, stating on social media that "Drivers shouldn't be put at risk for getting people where they want to go. Team Uber is in too and will cover legal fees in the same way,"
The US Supreme Court refused to block the law on a 5-4 decision after abortion providers and advocates filed an emergency petition to stop the law in its tracks.