Ride-sharing service Lyft has announced the creation of its new Driver Legal Defense Fund, which is meant for drivers who may find themselves facing a lawsuit under Texas’s newly imposed abortion law. the corporate vows to hide all of a driver’s legal fees should they find themselves during this unfortunate position.
The issue revolves around the Texas Heartbeat Act, a replacement law that went into effect on September 1. Under this law, abortions are forbidden once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which sometimes occurs around six weeks into the pregnancy. The draconian law is uniquely oppressive because it not only bans most abortions but also seeks tips from private citizens who are financially incentivized to report any suspected violations of the law.
In addition, anyone who assists an individual with getting an abortion under the Heartbeat Act also can be sued for $10,000 or more. The broad nature of the bill means even individuals unaware that they’ll be ‘facilitating’ the procedure, like a taxi driver, can find themselves on the receiving end of a lawsuit.
The law specifically allows for “any person” to “sue anyone who aids or abets these illegal abortions.” Texas Right to Life has launched an internet site that permits anyone to submit recommendations on alleged abortions and people who may have helped facilitate them, including those that may have unknowingly helped transport the accused individual to the abortion facility.
TX SB8 threatens to punish drivers for getting people where they need to go— especially women exercising their right to choose. @Lyft has created a Driver Legal Defense Fund to cover 100% of legal fees for drivers sued under SB8 while driving on our platform.
— Logan Green (@logangreen) September 3, 2021
Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green addressed this issue in recent tweets, announcing the Lyft Driver Legal Defense Fund, likewise calling the bill “an attack on women’s access to healthcare and on their right to settle on .” Additionally, green called on other companies to hitch them in offering drivers protection from potential lawsuits under the bill.
Shortly after its publication, Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi retweeted Green’s message, announcing that Uber, too, will cover its drivers’ legal fees if they’re sued under the abortion law.
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
