Maryland GOP Gov. Hogan, who personally opposes abortion, said Texas abortion law is a little 'extreme'

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan called Texas' new abortion law "a little bit extreme."
Hogan, a Republican, is anti-abortion but called out the provision that allows private citizens to sue others who performed or helped a woman obtain an abortion.
"I think the courts, the Supreme Court will take this up, they haven't made the final determination on it," he said.
See more stories on Insider's business page.

Texas' new restrictive abortion law is "a little extreme," Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said on Sunday, even though he personally opposes abortion.

"I happen to be personally opposed to abortion and I believe states do have rights to pass some reasonable restrictions," Hogan told NBC News' Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" Sunday. "But certainly, in this case, this bill in Texas, seems to be a little bit extreme with this problem of bounties for people that turn in somebody that drove someone to an abortion clinic.

The Texas law - known as SB 8 - was signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in May, though it was held up by legal challenges until the US Supreme Court refused to block the law, allowing it to take effect on September 1.

Like many other GOP efforts to limit abortion across the US, the legislation prohibits ending a pregnancy after about six weeks, when anti-abortion proponents say a fetal heartbeat can be detected, and before some women are aware they're pregnant. The legislation doesn't allow for exceptions in the case of rape or incest, though it does allow for abortions in cases of medical emergencies.

As Insider previously reported, the law has been widely criticized as it allows private Texas citizens to report and sue individuals they believe to have performed an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected. It also allows private citizens to sue anyone they believed held another person obtain an abortion, including those who have no personal relationship with the person who obtained an abortion - like Uber and Lyft drivers.

Individuals who successfully sue an abortion provider or someone who aided a woman in receiving an abortion can receive up to $10,000 for each case.

"So look, I think the courts, the Supreme Court will take this up, they haven't made the final determination on it," Hogan said Sunday. "Legislatures have rights to pass bills, governors have the right to sign them into law or not, and the court gets to make the ultimate decision."

Read the original article on Business Insider