Uber and Lyft both pledged Friday to cover the legal costs of their drivers if they were to be sued under Texas' recently enacted abortion law.
The law, which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, allows private citizens to sue anyone that assisted in the procedure. Doctors, clinic workers, people paying for the procedure and people who drive the patient to an abortion clinic, including rideshare drivers, are all subject to lawsuits under the new law and could face fines of up to $10,000.
"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," Lyft said in a press release. "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. Both are completely unacceptable."
Lyft said it has created a Driver Legal Defense Fund, which would cover 100 percent of legal fees for drivers sued over driving an abortion patient to a clinic. The rideshare company also announced that it would be donating $1 million to Planned Parenthood.
Uber's CEO then followed Lyft's lead and said that it would also cover its drivers' legal fees.
Right on @logangreen - 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. Thanks for the push. https://t.co/85LhOUctSc
— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) September 3, 2021