Uber and Lyft will pay the legal fees of drivers sued under Texas' new abortion law

• Uber and Lyft said they'll pay the legal fees of drivers sued under Texas's new abortion law.
• Under the law, anyone who transports a woman to receive an abortion after six weeks of gestation can be sued.
• "Drivers are never responsible for monitoring where their riders go or why," Lyft said in a statement.

Uber and Lyft will cover any legal fees incurred by their drivers if they were sued for taking passengers to receive an abortion after six weeks of gestation under Texas' harsh new abortion law.

"Drivers are never responsible for monitoring where their riders go or why," Lyft said in a statement Friday. "Imagine being a driver and not knowing if you are breaking the law by giving someone a ride. 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," the ride-share company added.

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Lyft said it established its Driver Legal Defense Fund to cover 100% of the legal fees that its drivers could potentially incur under the law. The legislation, known as a heart "heartbeat" abortion ban, bars abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected - about six weeks into a pregnancy - before some women are even aware they're pregnant, as Insider previously reported.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi made a similar pledge to cover legal fees for drivers in a tweet on Friday afternoon.

-dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) September 3, 2021

"Right on @logangreen - drivers shouldn't be put at risk for getting people where they want to go," Khosrowshahi said, sharing a tweet from Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green, announcing its policy. "Team @Uber is in too and will cover legal fees in the same way. Thanks for the push."

The legislation, which is similar to abortion bans introduced in other GOP-led states, was signed by Texas' Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May, but it was met with legal challenges. The US Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block the law, allowing it to take effect September 1.

Unlike similar laws in other states, the Texas legislation allows private Texas citizens to enforce the ban by reporting and suing individuals who they believe obtained an abortion or helped another person obtain an abortion - including those who drive others to get the procedure and those with no personal connection to the person who underwent the procedure.

Texas citizens can be awarded up to $10,000 for every successful lawsuit and have their legal fees covered, Insider previously reported.

While the ban has exceptions to allow abortions in the case of medical emergencies, it contains no exceptions for instances of rape or incest.

Axel Springer, Insider Inc.'s parent company, is an investor in Uber.