Why the C.E.O. Behind Match.com and Tinder Took a Stand on the Texas Abortion Law
The CEO of the dating service Match.com came out this week against the state’s abortion law, saying, “It will not stand.” He said this even though he also says the company is “the largest marketplace for the global online dating experience.”
The Match.com CEO who spoke out on Wednesday came on a week when the state of Texas passed a stringent abortion law, the most restrictive in the nation. This bill was signed into law by state governor Rick Perry late on Tuesday night.
The law would prohibit doctors who perform abortions from having to perform so-called “partial-birth abortion” and also force them to get a license for the procedure. It would also ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. And, in some circumstances, it would allow a doctor to “end a life” of a fetus as early as two weeks after it is born.
I asked Stephen E. Shipnuck, CEO of Match.com about the Texas law, and what he thinks about it, and he sent me this email:
I am really shocked that you are surprised that a large number of people who I personally know and respect find this extremely offensive. I have also been surprised by the number of people who have been outraged by this bill that I had not heard of until I read about it.
This is one of the most abhorrent pieces of legislation I have ever seen. It is not simply insulting to women’s rights or their health. It is offensive to men and children by not being able to protect them from the evil inherent in this bill.
This bill would prevent doctors that perform abortions from performing other procedures, such as Caesarian sections, and would require a license that doctors who perform abortions would not be able to get unless they had a license for that practice.
It is very unlikely that a medical license
