California's Lyft, Uber To Pay Legal Fees For Drivers Sued Under Texas' New Abortion Ban

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego

September 4, 2021

Lyft and Uber will cover all legal fees for rideshare drivers sued under a new Texas law imposing a near-total ban on abortion, the two San Francisco-based companies’ chief executives said on Friday.

Lyft also said it will donate $1 million to women’s health provider Planned Parenthood, CEO Logan said on Twitter.

“This is an attack on women’s access to healthcare and on their right to choose,” Green said of the new Texas law.

The announcement was made first by Lyft and quickly followed by Uber, which thanked Green for taking the initiative.

The Texas ban, which took effect early Wednesday, leaves enforcement up to individual citizens, enabling them to sue anyone who provides or “aids or abets” an abortion after six weeks. This potentially includes drivers who unknowingly take women to clinics for abortion procedures.

Citizens who win such lawsuits would be entitled to at least $10,000 plus legal fees, which critics of the new law say could encourage anti-abortion vigilantes.

Abortion providers say the law could lead to hundreds of costly lawsuits that would be logistically difficult to defend.

On Thursday, Tinder-owner Match Group’s CEO and rival dating platform Bumble said they were setting up funds to help Texas-based employees seeking abortion care outside the state.

Reuters contributed to this article.

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