Karl Rove says Texas' abortion law is 'too extremist' and will be 'a real problem for Republicans in the legislature'
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- GOP strategist Karl Rove said the Texas abortion law that bans the procedure after 6 weeks is "extremist."
- He said the ban will "create a real problem for Republicans" during the state's legislative session beginning in January.
- Some state lawmakers have said they would vote to add a rape exception, the Texas Tribune reported.
Republican strategist Karl Rove said Texas' abortion ban, which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, is "too extremist" and may haunt Republicans.
Rove, a senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, made the comments at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Saturday.
"Do you think Texas is too extremist?" The Tribune's CEO Evan Smith asked Rove during an interview.
"Yeah, I do. I think it's gonna create a real problem for Republicans in the legislature next year when they have to deal with it," Rove said, defining the measure as "essentially no abortion, no exceptions."
—Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 24, 2022
Ahead of Texas' legislative session, which is due to begin in January, some state lawmakers have voiced support for reassessing the abortion ban to provide an exception in cases of rape, The Texas Tribune reported.
On Saturday, while discussing the effects of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Rove noted that Kansas voters defeated an "extremist measure on abortion" when they overwhelmingly voted to reject an amendment that would have eliminated the right to an abortion.
According to the Tribune, Rove said that he supports the Supreme Court's ruling and that abortion regulations should be a state's rights issue.