Lyft General Counsel On Texas Abortion Law
Lyft's general counsel on Texas' abortion law
Lyft's general counsel expressed his hope that more companies in the United States would join him in opposing Texas' abortion law
The meeting took place on Wednesday night, just hours after the Supreme Court denied a request to overturn a Texas law that prohibits most abortions. The executives discussed how the company would respond.
We were contacted by John Zimmer and Logan Green, our President and CEO, who inquired, "'What can we do about this?'" On Monday, Kristin Sverchek, general counsel at Lyft (LYFT), spoke with CNN's Poppy Harlow about the company's legal strategy. "We made a split-second decision to take action."
Drivers had begun calling the company, fearing that they would be sued as a result of the new legislation. Once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy under Texas law, abortion providers are prohibited from performing abortions. It also allows individuals to sue anyone, not just medical providers, who "aides or abets" a restricted abortion. Legal experts believe this could include rideshare drivers who transport a person to an abortion procedure, whether or not the driver is aware of what is going on around him or her.
Woman's right to choose
In addition to making a strong statement in support of a woman's right to choose, Sverchek and the other members of the team wanted to reassure our drivers. It was important to us that they did not find themselves in a precarious position where they were unsure whether their behavior was acceptable or not.
Green, the CEO of Lyft, announced on Friday that the company would set up a legal defense fund to defend drivers who are sued under the law for transporting an abortion patient in their vehicle. Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber (UBER), quickly followed suit, stating that his company would provide drivers with similar protections in the future.
Other businesses that have spoken out against the law include Match Group, whose CEO stated that she would establish a fund to assist employees in obtaining abortion care outside of Texas if necessary, and GoDaddy, a web hosting service that took down a website that allowed users to post tips about possible Texas abortions. The rideshare companies are among a number of others that have spoken out against the law.
The Texas law went into effect just a few days after its passage, and Republican leaders in other Republican-led states announced their intention to introduce similar legislation.
Sverchek stated that if similar legislation is passed in other states, Lyft intends to provide a similar level of financial assistance to drivers in those states. In addition, the company announced a $1 million donation to the Planned Parenthood Foundation of America.
In Conclusion
According to Sverchek, the rest of corporate America should join him in opposing the legislation, stating that Lyft took action despite the fact that "we will lose some customers as a result of the legislation."
As she explained, "Because abortion is a constitutionally protected right, I'm pleased to see us here speaking out, and I hope that more of Corporate America follows our lead." "While acknowledging the importance of reasonable legislation, governments must also avoid unnecessarily restricting a constitutional right, as has occurred in this case. However, I believe that it is critical for corporate America to hold the government accountable and to speak out on important issues such as climate change."
