Woman, 20, thrown out of Uber after driver 'disagrees with abortion plan'
A 20-year-old university student claims an Uber driver threw her out on the side of country road because he disagreed with her decision to get an abortion.
Claire Montgomery, a pseudonym, said she was faced with a difficult decision after finding out she was pregnant in March despite having previously taken an emergency contraception pill.
“I cried for the rest of the weekend and stayed in bed. I didn’t go outside unless I absolutely had to. I shut down,” the student at Cornell University – in Ithaca, New York – told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Ms Montgomery ordered an Uber for a ride to a doctor’s appointment on March 21, where she was going for a non-surgical medical abortion by herself.
“The minute I got into the car, there was inexplicable tension. My driver didn’t greet me or confirm my name or the destination; he was just silent. After a few minutes, he asked if we were going to a Planned Parenthood,” she said.
“I said, ‘No, I’m just going to a doctor’s appointment.’ A few more minutes of uncomfortable silence passed. Then he asked, ‘Are... are we going to an abortion clinic?’
“I was dumbfounded.”
Ms Montgomery said tears immediately came to her eyes and she felt like her heart had stopped beating.
“All the embarrassment and shame I had been feeling the last week or so rose to the surface,” she said.
“I looked at him pleadingly, silently begging him to stop.”
‘You’re making a mistake’
The driver, identified only by Ms Montgomery as Scott, continued to press her for information before describing the procedure to her in detail.
“I know it’s none of my business, but you’re going to regret this for the rest of your life,” he allegedly told her.
“There’s so much they don’t tell you. You’re making a mistake.”
Ms Montgomery checked the map on her phone in the moments that she had service as they were driving through a rural area just outside of Ithaca.
The ride would still be another 35 minutes when the driver suddenly pulled over near a small service station and told Ms Montgomery he could not take her any further.
“I was scared and I felt more alone than I had ever felt,” she said.
“As I called the three cab companies closest to me, my Uber driver waited 10 feet away.
“After about 15 minutes, he asked me once more if I wanted him to drive me back. Firmly, I said no thank you. He drove away, and about 15 minutes later a cab came.”
Ms Montgomery paid AU$167 for a cab that took her the remaining half-hour of the drive.
When she got to the clinic an hour after her appointment time, she felt “incredible relief” to be in the company of doctors who treated her with dignity and respect.
“I debated sticking up for myself, justifying my choice to get an abortion with my young age or my inability to provide for this child financially had I brought it to term, but I knew I shouldn't have to justify my choices to anyone, least of all my Uber driver,” she said.
Uber driver reported to police
Once the woman was home, she reported Scott to Uber and filed a police report.
“The officer I met with who filed the report was very sympathetic, but he insisted that nothing criminal had actually occurred,” she said.
“Uber comped my ride and after telling them I filed a police report against the driver, a representative immediately got in touch with me and apologised for my experience on Uber’s behalf.”
An Uber representative called her a few days later to confirm Scott was permanently banned from the app.
Uber confirmed to Yahoo Lifestyle the driver was removed from the service as his actions violated the company’s community guidelines.
“He’ll never understand the ramifications of his actions. He’ll never know the pain he caused,” Ms Montgomery said.
“He’ll never pay for what he did in the way that I’ve paid for it, emotionally and psychologically.”
Ms Montgomery plans to pursue further legal action.
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