Texas has passed a new abortion law that would ban such procedures after six weeks of pregnancy. It also gives general public the power to enforce the ban. The Supreme Court upheld the law 5-4 on Wednesday. Leaders of two dating apps based in Texas – Bumble and Match said that they would set up funds to help those who will be affected by the new law.
Dallas based Match group said that its CEO Shar Dubey is personally setting up the fund. It will provide benefits to the group’s employees in Texas who could be forced to seek health care outside the Lone Star State. The internal memo circulated to the employees was first reported by Bloomberg.
The fund will cover costs that could be incurred for workers and their dependents as they would need to travel to another state for an abortion. The group owns several apps including popular ones like Tinder, Plenty of Fish and more.
Dubey said that she was shocked that the state’s laws were more regressive that most of the world including India, the country from where she immigrated more than a quarter century ago.
Bumble, which also based in Austin, Texas said that it has created a relief fund to support reproductive rights of women as well as people across the gender spectrum in Texas who might need abortions. The company is founded by women and its CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd said that the company would keep fighting against “regressive laws.”
A recent poll by PerryUndem, which was released this week, showed that Texas could lose out on skilled workers. Two-thirds of college educated workers said that they would not take up jobs in a state that banned abortions after six weeks.
Most people will not realize that they are pregnant in six weeks as it is a short period of time. The law has gained wide spread criticism. This is the strictest ever restriction on women’s reproductive rights. It also does not take into account those who have been raped or have faced incest as special cases.
