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OkCupid called 'OkStupid' for adding pro-choice badge in support of abortion rights

For every user who applies the pro-abortion badge on their profile, the dating app will donate $1 to Planned Parenthood

Dating platform OkCupid has a new badge that lets potential matches know if somebody is pro-life. While this might not be the most forthcoming news for pro-lifers, that doesn't bother the dating platform whose headquarters are incidentally in Dallas, Texas.

Abortion is essentially illegal in Texas, as The New York Times noted while reporting on the latest addition to OkCupid's features. The Lone Star State's highly controversial law that was recently passed prohibits abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. Only in cases of medical emergencies does the law allow the procedure to be a legal option. But as NYT notes, the new badge was added in response to the passage of Senate Bill 8, a pushback of sorts as activists continue to protest against the Texas abortion law.

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Announcing their new feature, OkCupid revealed that users will be able to add the "I'm Pro-Choice" badge on their profile. Not just that, for every user who applies the pro-abortion badge on their profile, the dating app will donate $1 to Planned Parenthood, up to $50,000. "Given the new, radical Texas law that essentially bans abortion access, it's more important than ever to take a stand and we've found that our users want to be able to choose to filter for dates who are pro-choice more than they ever have before. This summer, there has been an 18% increase in 'pro-choice' on user profiles in the US compared to last," the company said of its new feature.

The company's parent organization, Match Group, is situated in Dallas where people can lodge a civil action against those found conducting or inducing abortions as it breaches the law. Civil action can also be filed against people who knowingly participate in activity which "aids or abets the performance or inducement of an abortion" that will breach the law, regardless of whether the person knew that carrying out the abortion would be against state law. "Claimants who prevail will earn statutory damages of at least $10,000," The Blaze reports.

Further elaborating on their new feature, OkCupid announced: "Daters also want to filter matches by whether or not they're pro-choice; after all, people with 'pro choice' in their profile are nearly 2x more likely to get a reply than those who don't. Therefore, the I'm Pro-Choice profile badge will be accompanied by a Pro-Choice Stack which acts as a filter when you're looking for dates; it will only be accessible to users with the I'm Pro-Choice badge and will only feature other daters who've opted into it as well. Because if you only want to match with people who are pro-choice, well, that's your choice!"

The statement added: "We expect daters in the Pro-Choice Stack to increase their likes up to 10x; when we released the #ISupportPP profile badge in support of Planned Parenthood several years ago, men with the badge got 9x more likes than those who didn't add it to their profile. The I'm Pro-Choice profile badge will go live for OkCupid users in the US on Wednesday, and the Pro-Choice Stack will become available soon after."

The news, as expected, has gone viral, with people weighing in on both sides of the argument. Amidst acceptance, there has also been some backlash, with people dubbing the app, "More like OKStupid" on Twitter. Several asked, "Great so where is the pro life badge?" Others tweeted, "Can they add a pro-life badge? Why do companies gleefully pick sides and alienate customers". Snubbing the move for being judgmental, one user tweeted: "Remember when we used to meet people without prejudging them or their beliefs?" And others simply deduced: "This is why nobody uses okcupid".