caitlyn jenner
Gubernatorial candidate Caitlyn Jenner looks on during a Town Hall meeting in Pasadena, California, August 28, 2021.
ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
  • Caitlyn Jenner said she supports abortion rights but also defended Texas' new anti-abortion law.
  • "I am for a woman's right to choose," the California gubernatorial candidate told CNN.
  • "I am also for a state having the ability to make their own laws," she added.
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Caitlyn Jenner on Tuesday expressed her support for abortion rights but also defended Texas' decision to enact a law that virtually outlaws the procedure.

Jenner, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in California's recall election, shared her views on abortion in the wake of the Supreme Court's refusal last week to block a Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

"I am for a woman's right to choose. I am also for a state having the ability to make their own laws," Jenner said in an interview with CNN. "And so I support Texas in that decision. That's their decision. I'm OK with that."

The former reality TV star and Olympic champion added that she does not anticipate "any changes" in the future to laws in California, where abortion is legal.

CNN host Brianna Keilar grilled Jenner on how she can support a woman's right to an abortion while at the same time support Texas' new law.

"I think they have the right in their state to do what they want to do," Jenner replied. "Now do I agree with the decision or not? No, to be honest with you, I actually probably do not agree with the decision. But I agree with they have the right to make their own decision."

The Texas law, which went into effect last Wednesday, bans abortions after the six-week mark of pregnancy - a time when many people do not yet know that they are pregnant. The law threatens abortion access statewide and makes no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. It also invites private citizens to enforce the ban rather than state officials, meaning individuals can sue people, such as a doctor, helping a patient get an abortion past the six-week point.

Abortion-rights groups have slammed the law as an attack on a woman's right to an abortion established nearly 50 years ago under the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade. The Texas law comes as the Supreme Court is due to consider the constitutionality of abortion this fall in a case that could upend Roe v. Wade.

Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, have similarly criticized Texas' new law. Newsom is a fierce supporter of abortion rights and has made the issue a talking point of his campaign ahead of next Tuesday's election.

Jenner is one of dozens of Republicans vying to unseat Newsom. Yet according to polling data, the current GOP frontrunner to replace Newsom is conservative talk show host Larry Elder.

Read the original article on Business Insider